Blow It Up
by chrissywrite
Summary: Momo Yaoyorozu was establishing herself as a young hero. She agrees to take up an agency partnership with Shoto Todoroki to develop their relationship and, hopefully, become a couple. But after spending several nights with Katsuki Bakugo, her feelings start to get complicated. BakuXMomoXShoto (Lemon Warning)
1. Chapter 1: Let it Burn

Chapter 1: Let it Burn

"Good morning, Yao-Momo!" the girls of Class 1 from UA were excited to see Yaoyorozu's face, even if it was just from a computer screen. They've been so busy with their lives after UA, so moments like these were rare.

"Good morning, everyone," Yaoyorozu waved back, "How are you all?"

"Ughhh, busy as usual," Kyoka groaned, sinking in her seat, "With the criminal rate going up, it's hard to have fun nowadays."

This was true – times have changed since UA. The growth in criminals has increased ever since their graduation for UA. With the growth in criminals came the growth in heroes. However, with this inflation of heroes and villains came a more systematic hero process. Each agency was assigned a district and agencies were not allowed to complete assignments in other districts unless there were agency partnerships, or other specific circumstances. Regardless of the situation, the girls always tried to stay in contact, even if it was just a video chat.

"Not for Ochako," Mina snickered, lightening the mood and keeping her cheeky grin

"Mina!" Ochako blushed, and tried to hide her face in her hands.

Tsuyu croaked, "Midoriya was about the faint. But he's so happy to be with Ochako.

"Not you too Tsuyu!" Ochako's face was flustered, even if she was hiding in her hands. Her and Midoriya started dating a few weeks ago. Ochako explained on that same day that Midoriya gathered up his courage to ask her to be his girlfriend. He was trembling in his knees and sweating bullets, but after 10 hours of frozen fear, Midoriya shakily let the words fall out of his mouth.

"Ahhh it must be so nice to have a boyfriend," it was hard to see, but Toru seemed to be in a dreamy state.

"So, Ochako, did you kiss him yet?" the pink-skinned beauty grinned evilly.

"Ahhhhh!" Ochako got so red that she ran off, leaving her screen on. The girls giggled at her embarrassment.

"Speaking of boyfriends," Mina moved her face up to the screen, making sure to eye the camera, "When is Todoroki going to ask YOU out, Yao-Momo?"

Yaoyorozu's cheeks turned red. She averted her eyes away from the camera, "What? What do you mean?"

All the girls sighed in frustration. She did not know it yet, but her feelings for Todoroki increased through their years at UA.

"It's so obvious, Yao-Momo," Kyoza crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, "Whenever you're near each other, you guys just….glow."

"You're meant to be together!" Ochako yelled, popping out of nowhere, "You and Todoroki work so well together! You guys are practically a couple already!"

The thought of her and Todoroki together did not cross her mind. She always considered him as a good friend. She thought about all the things Todoroki has said to her and what they've done together. Suddenly, she remembered that moment that changed her life.

 _"_ _When we were voting for class rep, you got two votes right?" his eyes were serious and he did not break out of her gaze, "One of those votes was mine because I thought you'd be good at it!"_

The words replayed in her heard and all the time they've spent together flashed before her eyes. He was always just there – beside her - and she did not realize it until now. It all made sense. _Why didn't I see this before?_

"Yoo hoo? Yao-Momo?" Mina waved her hand in front of the webcam, "I think we broke her."

Yaoyorozu blinked and snapped back to reality, "Huh?"

"You've been out of it for a while, Yao-Momo" Tsuyu explained, "Thinking about Todoroki?"

Yaoyorozu did the same movement as Ochako when they mentioned Midoriya and buried her face in her hands, "Ahhhhhhh…nooooo. Todoroki is just Todoroki."

"Ohhh! Yao-Momo! You can't hide it! When was the last time you saw Todoroki?" Toru squealed.

She thought about that time they bumped into each other at the mall. After she was done shopping, she saw Todoroki blankly staring at a display of shoes. He could not decide which one to get and she helped him shop. In return, he treated her to lunch at their usual café. Thinking about it now, it seemed like a date. Her face became redder.

"I haven't seen Todoroki in a while or everyone else! I can't wait until our class reunion! It will be so nice to hang out with everybody!" Ochako stated.

"Maybe Todoroki will ask her out before then," Mina giggled with her fingers over her mouth, "Maybe even on her birthday."

"Ohhh! That's right! Yao-Momo's birthday is coming up!" Ochako unknowingly changed the subject.

"What should we do? What should we do?" Toru seemed more excited than Yaoyorozu.

Kyoza was quick to respond, "Let's do karaoke!"

"That sounds like fun," Tsuyu smiled, "What do you think, Yao-Momo?"

Yaoyorozu turned to the Diamond Concert pamphlet on top of her nightstand. She made sure to call off from work so she could attend. Her friends were not really into that sort of thing, but she made reservations just in case. Thinking about it, it would be strange for her to go by herself. _It would be more fun to hang out with the girls instead._

"I'd love to!" Yaoyorozu nodded her head in delight. It would be the first time

 _Bzzzztt!_ Her phone vibrated on the desk. She picked it up and saw a message from her work. It had the location of a villain assignment in her district. After opening the message, it read: ACCEPT and DECLINE.

It would be her third assignment for today. Completing more assignments for her agency would help her progress into becoming a full-fledged hero. She was quick to accept before anyone else in her agency could.

"Sorry ladies. Gotta go!" Yaoyorozu waved goodbye to her friends, "Keep in touch everyone!"

"Bye, Yao-Momo!" they responded. She logged off her computer and slipped into her uniform.

 _I wonder what it's going to be like today…_

* * *

It was chaotic enough to leave everyone in a panic. When she arrived at the scene, sidekicks from her agency were evacuating citizens. Those heroes were lower ranking from her – not ready to handle a villain.

"Creati is here everyone!" the sidekicks gawked and roared upon her arrival. Yaoyorozu stayed humble and gave a respectable bow. She, then, proceeded to the location of the villain. It was hard to miss. She just had to follow the sound of thrashing and the sight of tentacles flying about. It was easy for her to determine that the villain was Tentos.

He was a 10-tentacled villain that stood a good ten feet. He was a low rank criminal, but – like all villains – must be handled with caution. She kept her distance and stayed out of his sight. Yaoyorozu just needed time to come up with a plan.

In one simple minute, she executed one in her head. She sprung into action and was about to pull out a weapon from her body when a blonde flash crashed into the side of Tentos' head and exploded. He was wearing a simple black tank top with beige pants and brown shoes.

"Eh?" she blankly paused in her tracks and centered her focus on the blonde beast. He landed gracefully in front of her. It was none other than Katsuki Bakugo, and he wasn't even in his hero uniform.

"Ba-Bakugo?" Yaoyorozu was surprised to see him there. Her agency was assigned to this district, but it just so happens that Bakugo was in the same area.

Bakugo barely acknowledged her and went back to attacking Tentos, "Die! Die! Die!"

Yaoyorozu watched in amazement as her former classmate handled the situation with ease. Even if he was a heroic, aggressive genius, he still must comply to the rules, "Bakugo, this isn't your district, you could be in serious trouble!"

"Fuck the district!" Bakugo quickly responded, not even turning his head to her.

Yaoyorozu sighed. She knew that once he was in this state, there was no stopping him. Although he was handling the situation brilliantly and keeping damage control, her boss would not be happy with her abandoning her assignment – especially if another hero agency took the assignment."

"I don't want you to get in trouble, Bakugo," she explained, "Let me handle it."

"Shut up, Ponytail!" and with that last burst, Tentos fell to the ground. Bakugo finished the job hastily without a single scratch on him. He made sure to avoid Tentos' tentacles.

 _Quite the genius alright._ Yaoyorozu smirked and shook her head.

Bakugo took one ahold of one of Tentos' shirt and dragged him as he walked towards the police to turn him in, "Tch, this one was weak."

Yaoyorozu caught up to him and walked by his side, "If your agency find out about this-"

"-Take him," Bakugo interrupted, throwing the tentacle to her chest.

She was confused, "What?"

"This one was _weak_ ," he repeated with disappointment in his voice. He turned in the opposite direction of her and started on his way.

He didn't even give her time to thank him. Yaoyorozu released the tentacle and caught up to him again, "Wait!"

Bakugo didn't stop walking. Yaoyorozu caught up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He was surprised by her touch and spun around, "What do you want, Ponytail?"

She let go of him and did a polite bow, "I just want to say thank you."

He paused for a moment, and then said, "You…bastard!"

Yaoyorozu couldn't believe what she was hearing. She looked up at him and was about to scold him when she felt a hard slap across her back. The momentum threw her body forward. Bakugo wrapped his arms around Yaoyorozu to lighten the impact of her fall. She fell on Bakugo's body.

 _Tentos is conscious._ She attempted to lift herself up, but winced at the pain. Bakugo placed her to his side and yelled at Tentos, "Want some more, fucker?!"

Yaoyorozu attempted to get up again, but her body was not responding. She was starting to get numb. _Numbing secretions on his tentacles. How could I forget? That's why Bakugo avoided touching them._

Her eyelids were dropping and her mind went foggy. The last thing she saw was Bakugo pulsing his explosions' towards Tentos.

* * *

"Wake up, Ponytail!" Bakugo yelled, "I said wake the fuck up!"

She groggily opened her eyes to Bakugo's face. He held her by the head and forced her to sit up. He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, "The effect should be over already."

She sat up, but felt a slight pain climb up her back. She reached back to touch the spot that was damaged to find out that she was already bandaged up. Bakugo started walking once seeing that she was able to sit up. _Did he do this? I have to properly thank him…again._

Yaoyorozu couldn't get up, but was fast enough to grab his wrist before he could leave, "Why don't you ever wait? Don't you know you're being rude?"

"Bite me," he growled, releasing himself from her grip and continued walking away.

"I'm just trying to say 'Thank you!" she said angrily.

He didn't stop for her. She was doing her best to be polite, but couldn't hold it in. All she wanted to do was give him a proper thank you, "This could've been avoided if you stayed in your district!"

Bakugo stopped in his tracks. He tilted his head so that half of his face was visible to her. His intense red eyes glared into hers. She suddenly felt a chill down her spine out of intimidation. He kept his voice low, but was loud enough for her to hear, " _Bite…me."_

He averted his gaze away and continued on his way. It took some time for Yaoyorozu to collect herself from his glare. That image was difficult for her to get out of his head. _What was that all about?"_

* * *

Yaoyorozu threw herself to her bed. She was happy to finally arrive back at her condo. _What a long day…_

She didn't have the energy to get out of bed and cook herself dinner. She groaned at the thought of getting up from her soft sheets and turned to her side. Her eyes focused on the Diamond Concert pamphlet, remembering how badly she wanted to go.

 _I can always book the reservation on another day…Maybe I can even…get a date by then,_ Todoroki's face flashed into her head. She remembered what Mina said about him. _Curse you, Mina._

She carefully sat up, being careful not to further injure herself and reached for her phone. To her surprise, the home screen of her cellphone was flooded with messages and missed calls. She forgot that she left her phone on silent during the assignment.

 _What's all this about?_ She moved her thumb to the first message on her screen. It was from Ochako.

"HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?!" it read in bold letters. There were several photos under it, waiting to be downloaded. Yaoyorozu downloaded the first picture that appeared on her screen.

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped. It was a picture of Bakugo holding her on the ground. The captions read "NEW ARISING HERO COUPLE PUTS TENTOS BEHIND BARS"

 _This can't be happening!_ She panicked. It seemed to be from a popular news website. She did not have to go deep into research to find out that other pictures were posted all over the internet, praising this new hero couple. _Nooooooo! We became viral!_

Yaoyorozu took the nearest pillow and screamed into it. _Why did this happen?_

There was no way her and Bakugo would become an item. He was her opposite: violent, crazy, arrogant. _We just don't click._

Thinking about Bakugo made her remember his serious face again, _Bite me._

 _Bite me, he says. Psh._ She poked out her tongue, imagining she was facing Bakugo. Then, she thought of the bandages wrapped around her body and the time he caught her. She eased her grip on the pillow. He was not very friendly, but he made sure that she was safe, which is the duty of a true hero. _A true hero, huh…_

The vibration of her phone made her jump. She sat up and pulled the phone to her face to see that Todoroki was calling.

Her heart skipped a beat. _Wha-What if he saw the picture?_

She screamed internally and banged her head on the bed's headrest. _No, no Todoroki, it was blown out of proportion!_

Realizing that she was keeping the phone ringing too long, she quickly gathered up her composure.

"Yo, Todoroki," her voice cracked. _You idiot._ She slapped her forehead.

"Yaoyorozu, good evening," Todoroki said calmly, not acknowledging the strangeness in her voice, "I hope I am not bothering you."

His voice made her heart flutter. She's heard it so many times before, but this was the first time she really noticed how deep his voice was.

"No, not at all," Yaoyorozu responded while keeping her cool, "What can I help you with?"

It took him a few seconds to answer. He seemed to be in thought.

"Todoroki?" she asked worryingly, forgetting about her nervousness.

"I need to discuss something with you," he answered, "Will you be able to meet me at our cafe?"

 _Our café…_ They claimed that café to be _theirs_ as it was their regular hangout area. Often they arrived alone at the café, but encountered each other there on multiple occasions. The image of her and Todoroki sitting together at the café left her flushed. _Why am I being this way?_

"N-No problem," she stated, her voice shaking.

"Thank you, I will be there in 15 minutes. I will see you then."

"Okay, see you there," she hung up the phone and groaned, throwing herself back onto bed. _I wonder what he wants to talk about._

She imagined Todoroki's handsome face. His eyes were unlike any others, stern and beautiful. _Why didn't I notice it before? He's such a gentle man – a better one compared to Bakugo._

Her eye twitched at the thought of him. _Why am I even thinking about him?!_


	2. Chapter 2: Keep It Cool

Chapter Two: Keep it Cool

 _Snap out of it, Momo. It's just a meeting, not a date. You've spent time with Todoroki a million times before._

Yaoyorozu told herself that, but left her place looking flawless. Her luscious black hair was down, floating behind her. She was wearing a cotton pink dress that wasn't too fitted, but was enough to show her figure. The night air was cold, but she was sweating. _.not. ._

When she arrived at the café, Todoroki was already there. He was sitting at their usual table outside, resting his face on his hand while he read a book titled, _War, Love, and Quirks_. It was a book that she recommended to him. He seemed to be comfy in his white t-shirt and gray pants. Yaoyorozu blushed at the sight of him.

She forced herself to walk up to Todoroki. She was all square, "Good evening, Todoroki."

Yaoyorozu didn't have enough courage to look him in the eyes. Todoroki sat up and closed his book to give his attention to her. She took the seat in front of him and pulled down her dress, still not meeting his gaze.

He was curious, but did not question it, "Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

She averted her eyes downward and fumbled with the ends of her dress, "It was no issue to me."

Todoroki gazed at her for a moment. There was an awkward silence, which felt like forever to Yaoyorozu. _What is he thinking? What should I say? Ughh I'm not being normal right now…"_

"You're the only one I can rely on to do this for me," he spoke.

With those simple words, Yaoyorozu finally met his eyes. In that moment, her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Her mouth was open, but no words came out. He always thought so highly of her when she – herself- could not.

"How should I put this?" he asked himself, putting his fingers to his chin, "More specifically, I need you and your quick to fulfill a special assignment at my agency."

Yaoyorozu felt a little embarrassed at her overreaction. Her head dropped. She coughed and said to him, "I have to ask my agency…"

"I called your boss already," he said smugly, "You will be under a special contract with my agency. It's a partnership."

"Partnership?" she croaked imagining herself and Todoroki as 'partners'.

"Yes. You will be working with me to accomplish a special assignment. I estimate a year for it to be completed."

"One year?" _With Todoroki._ Her heart started to flutter again. She shook her head, trying to get her mind off it, "What-What will I be doing exactly?"

"My agency signed a construction contract with the government. With your ability to create resources and your keen eye, the process will be much quicker."

"So I won't be fighting villains under this new contract?"

"Temporarily, you won't," he took out a folder with several pieces of paper in it. He slid it in front of her, "If you agree, you can sign these papers. Sleep on it and come by my agency when you've reached a decision."

She took the papers in her hands. Her name and basic information were already printed on the sheets. Yaoyorozu was a little surprised that he had access to this information. All it needed was her signature, "How long do I have to decide?"

"As long as you want."

The barista approached them and placed a cup of hot chocolate in front of her. Todoroki thanked the barista once he walked away from them.

"I figured that you wouldn't drink coffee at his hour," Todoroki said as gave a small grin.

 _He's such a gentleman._ She placed the papers on the table and took the cup in her hands, "Thank you."

He watched her take drink from the cup and it made her nervous. She tried to hide her face by lifting the cup higher, but ended up drinking everything.

"All done," she chuckled nervously. _I can't do this. I need to get out of here._

Todoroki was surprised by how quick she drank it, but more so with how weird she was acting, "I didn't realize you were so parched. Would you like me to order another one?"

She hastily stood up, still not wanting to look him in the eyes, "No-no thank you. I'm… actually quite tired, so I'll be taking my leave."

Todoroki didn't question why she was acting so strangely, even though he badly wanted to. He was concerned. _Are you okay?_ He wanted to ask. It didn't come out of his mouth.

Yaoyorozu gave a quick polite bow and rushed her way out, "Have a good night, Todoroki."

She did not bother to wait for his reply and was gone by the time he said, "Good night, Yaoyorozu."

* * *

"I think you should do it, Yao-Momo," Kyoka said reassuringly on the phone.

By the time she arrived back at her condo, she was fast to give Kyoka Jiro a call to spill the news.

"What if I mess up and fail him?" she gripped the pillow tightly to her body. Shoto Todoroki was almost a full-fledged hero. It would be terribly embarrassing for him to hire her only to mess up his record of perfect assignments.

"And what if you don't?" Kyoka shot back.

Yaoyorozu didn't know what to say, but she still didn't know what to do. She didn't think she was good enough for him.

"Look, it's not just about failing him, which I know you won't. It's also a great opportunity to spend more time with him. I know you like him, so take this chance, Yao-Momo," the sound of rock-n-roll music rang in the background, "Crap, that's my work phone. I have the night shift today. I have to go now. Call me tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Yaoyorozu mumbled.

"Don't sound like that. You'll do great, I promise," her words were followed by the sound of the phone hanging up.

Yaoyorozu placed her phone beside her and stared at the stack of paperwork on her nightstand.

* * *

 **THE NEXT DAY**

 _Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up. Please don't pick up._ Yaoyorozu begged as she kept the phone to her ear. She planned to call Todoroki earlier in the day to refuse his offer, but couldn't think of anything to say. She put off the thought for a while, but felt obligated to call him. Yaoyorozu decided to make the call in the afternoon. She called him alright, but had no idea what to say to him.

"Hello?" Todoroki answered on the third ring.

 _Crap._

"Good day, Todoroki, I-uhhh…..I wanted to talk to you about something," Yaoyorozu nervously let the words come out.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to….to…." it was hard for her to say it. But she had to say it. She felt like she was not the best person for the job. Sternly, she said, "I wanted to refuse your offer."

Todoroki didn't say anything for a while. He wanted to ask why. He wanted to question her decision.

"I'm….I'm sorry to hear that," he responded.

Yaoyorozu felt bad an didn't want to stay on the phone too long, "I'm really sorry, Todoroki. I have to go."

"Good bye, Yaoyorozu," he made sure not to make the sadness in his voice noticeable.

"Good bye," she hung up.

Todoroki stared at his phone in silence. He proceeded to search up the recent picture of her and Bakugo that became viral on the internet. It bothered him.

Yaoyorozu wasn't doing so well either. She sat at her desk with her face buried in her hands. She didn't know how she was going to face him now. _If only you knew, Todoroki. It all would've been easier._

She shook her head and tried to forget about everything. She slicked her black hair into a ponytail and accepted a list of assignments for her to complete. Yaoyorozu had to move on…

...or so she thought.

* * *

"Why _bang_ won't _bang_ you _bang_ forget _bang_ about _bang_ it," Yaoyorozu was banging her head on a nearby building. The impacts caused her ponytail to unravel itself, making her hair fall. _Idiot._

People passed by her quickly to avert themselves from her awkward situation.

Yaoyorozu leaned on the wall and stared at the stack of paperwork in her hands that was given to her from Todoroki. She often went back and forth on the decision. At times, she was tempted to call back. At times, she passed by Todoroki's hero agency. With all that time, no decision was made.

 _I can't call him back after doing that. Well, maybe I should. That might be better. No, I already said NO._

"Ughhh!" Her head was spinning.

 _Grrrrrr_. Her stomach growled and it was enough for her to stop herself from burning out in thought. She buried herself in assignments, but did not get anything to eat. In order for her quirk to work successfully, she needed to eat a big meal, but she had no such meal since breakfast and it was already 7pm. _Maybe some food will help me decide._

She started walking to go to a nearby restaurant. As she was walking, she looked through the stack of paperwork and read through the documents again for the tenth time. Right when she was about to cut the corner of the building, she bumped into a stranger. She took a quick step back, but ended up tripping herself. She landed on her butt and all the papers flew.

The impact of her breasts caused the stranger to fall back. He let out a loud "Fuck!" as he fell.

"Watch where you're fucking going!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mea-" she was about to fully apologize when she saw who the stranger was. It was Katsuki Bakugo. He was wearing his hero uniform and tried to catch the papers that also fell out of his hands, "Bakugo?"

"Huh?" he looked confused.

 _He didn't recognize me._ She thought of it to be irritating considering the many years they went to school together. Then again, they weren't really 'close friends' at UA. Because he always called her Ponytail, she assumed it was her hair that made her unrecognizable. She put her hair in a ponytail.

"Well, watch where you're fucking going, Ponytail," this changed nothing.

They both gathered the papers that they dropped before it could fly away.

"I almost lost my shit because of you," he growled, getting up and fixing his papers. She was still organizing hers.

"It wasn't just my fault! You were also- _Grrrrrr"_ she was interrupted by her roaring stomach. She put her hands to her stomach and blushed out of embarrassment.

"Tch," Bakugo hissed and walked past her, "Hurry up."

Yaoyorozu didn't understand and just stared at him with a perplexed look.

He shot his head back, "Did I stutter, Ponytail?! I said hurry up! Get your shit, and get up!"

Bakugo waited for her to get up. Once she stood, he led the rest of the way.

* * *

When Bakugo and Yaoyorozu entered the restaurant, all eyes fell on them. It made Yaoyorozu uncomfortable, but it didn't faze Bakugo.

"For two?" the hostess asked.

"What does it fucking look like?" he didn't even bother to wait for the waitress to show them to the table. Yaoyorozu could feel the stares burying into her back. She heard them snicker and take pictures. _I really hope they don't post it on social media. Sooo embarrassing…_

She didn't want to go with Bakugo, but how could she turn him down? It was hard to argue with him. Once she sat down, she felt a whole lot of awkward. She didn't have anything to say. He didn't have anything to say. Yaoyorozu literally wanted to eat and split. Once they placed their orders, time was crawling too slowly.

It didn't bother Bakugo as much as it bothered her. In fact, he was acting like she wasn't even there. He placed his papers on the table, took out a pen, and rested his chin on his other hand as he focused on his work.

He stared at the first paper for a while and picked it up, "You're going to sign a contract with half-and-half?"

She was quick to grab it off his hands, "No! …or….I don't know. Maybe. I guess…I'm still thinking about it.

He didn't shift his eyes to look at her and wrote on his papers, groaning to himself, "This is the shittiest part of the job."

 _He's not even listening,_ her eye twitched, "All the paperwork is necessary to-"

"No one asked you," he interjected, not bothering to stop writing.

 _I hate this guy._ Yaoyorozu felt frustrated. Todoroki doesn't treat her like this. She let out a heavy sigh and felt that it was going to be a long and annoying dinner. Instead of engaging conversation with him, she spent her time eyeing things in the restaurant that were interesting. She turned her eyes to his papers and saw one that read 'RESIGNATION'. Before she could read on…

"You should do it," he finally spoke up again.

 _So he was listening,_ she was quite shocked that he was concerning himself in her business, "You mean the contract with Todoroki?"

"If he's asking for your help, he must really fucking need it," he explained.

She sunk in her seat, "I don't think I'm qualified for the job."

He stopped writing. He didn't look at her as he spoke, "Than half-and-half bastard wouldn't have asked you."

"Well I-"

Bakugo slammed the pen on the table, loud enough to grab people's attention, "Why the fuck do you keep arguing with me? Its simple, moron. He needs YOUR help. Not anyone else - YOU."

 _Ah._ It was simple. Todoroki asked for HER help. Now, she felt like an idiot for refusing. _Why do I never see it? I really am sorry Todoroki…_

She created a pen from her body and signed in the necessary areas, "You're right."

He picked up his pen and started writing again. He mumbled under his breath, but made sure it was loud enough for her to hear, "You're damn right I'm right."

Bakugo was violent, crazy, and arrogant, but he wasn't so bad at the moment. Yaoyorozu gave him a sweet smile. She sincerely said, "Thank you, Bakugo."

He stopped writing again for a moment, and looked at her this time. _Click._

"Tch," he brushed it off and continued to focus on his work.


	3. Chapter 3: A Mild Abrasion

Chapter 3: A Mild Abrasion

"It's just a picture, Todoroki. It could've been edited by fans, you know. Don't think anything of it," Midoriya explained once noticing the small icicles form on the bottle Todoroki was holding.

Todoroki and Midoriya just finished working out at the gym. Their hero agencies were partners, so the two saw each other often.

Todoroki was focusing hard on a picture of Yaoyorozu and Bakugo sitting together at a restaurant. She was smiling gleefully at Bakugo, and Bakugo had his eyes on her. Todoroki didn't notice that he almost completely froze the bottle. He simply melted the ice and put the phone back in his pocket, "I am not sure why you felt the need to explain it to me, Midoriya."

Midoriya's head slumped forward, _He doesn't know it yet, does he?_

Midoriya adjusted his gym bag's strap and stared at the brightness of the moon, "You should talk to her."

Todoroki turned to him as they continued to walk, curious as to what he was going to say. Midoriya always had genuine and significant words. He was a big impact on Todoroki's life as well.

"She just needs someone to encourage her," he reassured, "Yaoyorozu is a brilliant person, but she doesn't see the power in herself. If someone important to her told her that, she will light up."

Todoroki absorbed what he said. _Someone important, huh._

He allowed Midoriya to walk in front of him. He pulled out his phone again and zoomed in on the picture of Yaoyorozu smiling.

"I mean," Midoriya scratched his head, "The only reason why you asked her to work for you was because you wanted to spend more time with her right?"

Todoroki was taken by surprise and his cheeks blushed, almost melting the phone in his hands.

"Ahh! No, no! I mean you did, right? C-Calm down, Todoroki!," Mirodiya panicked looking at the deamaged phone.

* * *

 **LATER THAT NIGHT**

 _I'm going to call her now._ Todoroki told himself in the bathroom mirror. _I'm going to persuade her to work for me and she's going to work for me and we're going to spend time together and…_

He slapped his hand on his face. _What am I going to say?_

The confused male heard his cellphone ring in the next room. He walked out of his restroom and picked up his nearly destroyed cellphone. It was Yaoyorozu.

"Good evening, Todoroki," Yaoyorozu cracked. She was still trying to find that sweet spot to where her voice sounded normal when she was nervous. _Crap._

"Yaoyorozu," he greeted, surprised by her call.

It was silent for a moment. She just turned down his offer and Todoroki still did not plan what he was going to say.

"So uhm…." Yaoyorozu was the first one to speak out, "I stopped by your agency today, but by the time I arrived, you weren't there."

"Did you want to see me for something?"

"Well I uh…I signed the papers," she stated, gripping onto her pillow, "I left it with your front desk clerk."

He didn't have anything to say. Todoroki felt complete joy.

She answered, shakily, "I…I look forward to working with you, Todoroki."

He couldn't help but smile, "Yaoyorozu, that's good news."

"Yes, it is…So I'll uh…" Yaoyorozu still didn't completely know what to say, "I should be there at 9am."

"I will see you then, Yaoyorozu."

"Have a good night, Todoroki," she said hanging up.

He stared at his phone for a while with a satisfied smirk. _I look forward to working with you too, Yaoyorozu._

His moment of happiness didn't last as he started to think more about it. _What made her change his mind?_

Todoroki scrolled to his phone and opened the picture of Yaoyorozu and Bakugo.

* * *

 _Yaoyorozu slipped her fingers under Bakugo's black tank top. Her soft fingers brushed against his toned abdomen. He pulled her body to him and lightly bit her neck. She let out a soft moan as his warm tongue met her skin._

 _"_ _Does that feel good, Ponytail?" Bakugo teased, burying his intense red eyes onto hers. His face was close to hers, but she dared not to break his gaze. His rough hand slipped down into her panty, inching his way closer and closer…_

"Uwaaahhhhh!" Yaoyorozu woke up screaming in cold sweat. She put her hand over her mouth in shock. _What was THAT?!_

The scene unconsciously replayed in her hand. She had to slap herself to concentrate. _I think I've been spending too much time with Bakugo._

Before she could think anymore of it, her alarm went off. Her mind hastily shifted to Todoroki. It was going to be her first day at his agency, and she was overjoyed. Before she could do anything else, she had to shower, even thought she was already a little damp.

She was quick to shower, brush her teeth, eat breakfast, and slip on her uniform. She flew out the door, fixing her hair on the way out. _I can't wait to go to Todoro- EHHHHH?!_

And just like that, her dream replayed over and over in her mind. There he was, Katsuki Bakugo in his infamous black tank top. Her mind was scattered and her face, flustered.

Bakugo cocked his head to her once he heard the door close. His eyes were angry, "You, bitch."

It was the same angry red eyes from her dream. She couldn't think straight. She kept thinking about his hands and imagined him touching her. _How does he know where I live?_

He stood up; his muscles flexed from the tension of his rage. A vein popped out on his bulky neck. He grinded his teeth and was uncomfortably close in her face, "Don't you ever check your fucking belongings?!"

"What?" she backed off until her body was against the door.

It made him go closer. He slammed his hand on the door beside her head, "You took one of my damn papers, Ponytail!"

 _So close._ "I-I-I'm sorry but I t-t-turned them into Todoro-"

"Shit!" he yelled out in rage, "Don't you know how much of a fool you made me look like? I had all my fucking papers until you-"

Bakugo stopped himself from saying more. He took the hand that was beside her and clenched his fist, "Take me to that half-and-half bastard."

* * *

"Ka-Kachan!" Midoriya yelled, surprised with his presence at Todoroki's agency.

"Bakugo?" Ochako was there beside Midoriya, also in shock. Ochako and Midoriya worked at the same hero agency. Their agency was partnered with Todoroki's.

Yaoyorozu peeked from behind Bakugo, "Good morning Ochako! Midoriya! Why are you here so early?"

Ochako pointed at Yaoyorozu, "We are deciding on architectural designs, but more importantly-"

Her finger shifted to Bakugo, "WHY IS BAKUGO WITH YOU?"

"Hahhh? You gotta problem with that, Roundface?!" he growled, causing Ochako to wince and take back her finger.

Midoriya, in his usual panic, glanced back and forth between Todoroki, who stood suspiciously quiet in all of this, and the trespassing Bakugo, "Why are you here, Kacchan?"

Todoroki continued to stay silent; a small spark of anger was in his face.

"Long story short, I accidentally took one of Bakugo's papers and gave it to Todoroki," Yaoyorozu explained.

"What's with that look, bastard?" Bakugo peered at Todoroki's face, stomping closer to him.

Midoriya and Ochako were worried that they were going to break out into a fight. Todoroki tilted his head slightly over Bakugo to look at Yaoyorozu. He wondered how their papers got mixed up.

Bakugo felt annoyed once noticing that Todoroki shifted his attention elsewhere. He pulled Todoroki up by his navy blue cotton shirt, "You will give me that fucking paper back, shit head."

His intimidation didn't faze Todoroki. His face did not waver as he spoke, "Yaoyorozu, please proceed upstairs with Midoriya and Ochako to look at the design plan. I will speak to Bakugo in my office."

"C'mon Yao-Momo," Ochako tugged on her and MIdoriya followed. Ochako pulled her into the elevator with intentions of interrogating her. Yaoyorozu glanced back at Todoroki and Bakugo with a worried expression on her face.

"Are you finished?" Todoroki asked calmly.

"Tch," Bakugo released his grip and allowed Todoroki to lead him into his office. Todoroki was especially annoyed with Bakugo's presence today.

 _Why were you with Yaoyorozu?_ That question drilled into his head as they proceeded to his office.

Todoroki reached for the doorknob and twisted it open. Once he let go of the doorknob, the door accidentally hit Bakugo on the side. It burned his skin.

"What the fuck?" Bakugo howled at the mild burn, "Are you trying to pick a fight, half-and-half?"

Todoroki didn't realize what he did, but he was a little happy with the accident. He made sure to face away from Bakugo's sight as he grinned, "Sorry."

Bakugo threw out curse words as Todoroki approached the stack of papers on his desk.

He stared at Yaoyorozu's signature.

"I don't have all day," Bakugo was becoming impatient.

Todoroki shifted through the papers and found Bakugo's. He read through it before handing it to him, "You're quitting your agency?"

Bakugo went in front of him and swiped the paper from his hand, "Mind your own damn business."

"How did your paper get mixed up with Yaoyorozu's?"

"Didn't I tell you already, bastard?!"

Todoroki was used to Bakugo's outbursts, but he needed some answers. He held up Yaoyorozu's stack of signed papers in front of him, "Did you have something to do with this?"

"She signed the papers, didn't she?" Bakugo scoffed, heading towards the door.

Shoto was not too fond of Bakugo, but he did respect him. He felt a little thankful that Yaoyorozu took the job because of him. He spoke, "If you ever need a job-

"I don't need your fucking pity!" Bakugo was immediately offended, "You think you're hot stuff, hiring whoever you want? You're new _partner _doesn't need _you_ to be good at what she does."

He wasn't too fond of Bakugo's words. It made him agitated to think that he knew Yaoyorozu fondly. He clenched his fists. The pictures of them together appeared in his thoughts, "I don't know what you plan to do with Yaoyorozu…"

He glared him down, walking closer to Bakugo, "But stay away from Yaoyorozu."

A vein popped on Bakugo's head. He didn't like people telling him what to do.

"She's too good for you," Todoroki mocked, crossing his arms.

The vein got bigger. His cocked his head to the side, grinning evilly and popping sparks on his hand, "You think so?!"

He threw his head back and let out a hearty, menacing laugh. Katsuki's smile stayed on his face as he got in Todoroki's face, "You're gonna regret saying that, bastard."

He wasn't usually intimidated by him, but he could tell Bakugo wasn't kidding. It made him a little worried.

Bakugo had a smug look on his face. Staring him down with his serious red eyes. After a good minute of this, he turned around without a word and slammed the door shut, almost completely breaking it. Todoroki felt slight regret for what he said to Bakugo.

* * *

"And this is what we planned, and this is what we wanted, and this is what they did and this is what we will likely do," Ochako pulled on Yaoyorozu's arm, rushing her past the proposed designs that were posted on the walls. She finally stopped at the end and held on tight to Yaoyorozu's eyes, observing her face, "Now, what's going on with you and Bakugo?"

"Ochako, now is not really the time," Midoriya said nervously, hoping Todoroki wouldn't appear.

"Uhhh," Yaoyorozu scratched her head, remembering the pictures that were posted, "There's nothing going on really."

"I saw the pictures!" Ochako yelled, accusingly, "What is Bakugo to you?"

That was a difficult question. Being with Bakugo in recent events made Yaoyorozu see him in a new light. She smiled at the thought of it. Then her dream popped up again, shifting her smile and making her internally scream. She shook her head, and told her, "We're just friends!"

Ochako backed off and put a finger to her chin, "So nothing is going on?"

"Honestly, Ochako!" Yaoyorozu shrieked.

Ochako rubbed her chin, "She's seems to be telling the truth."

"Of course I am!"

"Is everything going well?" Todoroki asked, shutting the door behind him.

Yaoyorozu's personality altered as quickly as a light switch. Her voice became soft, "Todoroki...It's going very well."

He walked up to her, "What did you think of the designs?"

Izuku and Ochako watched them continue their conversation. If only they could see the brightness in their faces. They knew it was going to happen someday. Ochako held Midoriya's hand and gave him a reassuring nod. Midoriya nodded back to seal the quiet agreement. This was going to be an interesting year for Todoroki and Yaoyorozu.


	4. Chapter 4: Light the Fire

Chapter Four: Light the Fire

 _Why won't you pick up?_ Yaoyorozu sounded irritated after calling Kyoka for the fifth time. She needed someone to talk to, especially for today. She's hung out with Todoroki so many times before, but times have changed. Ochako and Midoriya had assignments to take care of in the morning and would not be back until noon. It was just going to be Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. Momo let out a sigh and left her a message, "Call me when you can."

* * *

"Good morning, Todoroki," she greeted him nervously, walking into his office and closing the door behind her. She suddenly felt that her hero uniform was too revealing to be wearing in front of him and tried to use her arms as coverage. But, he did not notice it.

"Good morning," Shoto was concentrating on the blueprints spread across his desk. He looked tired and there were bags under his eyes. He shook his head and buried his face into his palms, mumbling. Todoroki didn't get a lot of sleep last night as his dad, the great Endeavor, had a meeting with him last night. He spent a great amount of time in thought.

Yaoyorozu noticed his frustration and walked behind his desk, crouching down to his level and eyeing the blueprints. She was able to identify the problem right away and pointed at it, "You don't like where they put this?"

He turned his head to her and nodded, "How did you know?"

"I didn't like it either," she smiled and went back to observing the blueprints, "If you move the door here, more people will…"

She continued talking but Todoroki was in awe of her brilliance. He enjoyed having her around and just being with her in general. He's always admired her, but he didn't know how to tell her how he felt. Although she's also the best candidate for this assignment, it was also a great opportunity for Todroki to tell her how he felt. Still half-asleep, he stroked her soft cheek and blurted out, "You know me so well, Yaoyorozu."

Yaoyorozu's face burned red. This is the first time he's touched her like that before. _Oh, what is he doing?! Maybe, it's from the lack of sleep? Get it together, Momo!_

He smiled and pulled his hand back onto the desk. Shoto didn't look irritated anymore and was more at ease, resting his head on his hand, "I've been meaning to go to the work site. Would you accompany me?

She stood up straight, "Of-Of course."

Todoroki led the way out of the office and proceeded outside. A company car - which seemed to be too luxurious, even for Todoroki's company – pulled up in front of them. Todoroki opened the door for her.

"T-Thank you," she blushed and rushed to go inside. She moved too fast and bumped her head on the car door opening. Yaoyorozu fell back but Shoto caught her.

"You really must be careful, Yaoyorozu," he calmly stated. His face was close to hers, making her panic.

 _So close._ "Y-Yeah, sorry about that," she couldn't look into his eyes. He smiled and propped her up, helping her into the car.

The driver drove them to the worksite. Yaoyorozu believed it to be a long drive, even though it was only 20 minutes away from the agency. She stared outside the window, creating possible conversations for her to use. Todoroki was slowly dozing off. He almost completely fell onto Yaoyorozu's shoulder when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Momo took notice and watched him take out the phone. He glared at it for a moment, carefully reading the message and shoved it back in his pocket.

"I hope you don't mind me leaving early today, Yaoyorozu," he explained, somewhat agitated.

 _Maybe it was a message from his father_? "I don't mind at all."

He ended with that and stared out the window, resting his head on hand and using the side dashboard as a brace. It was silent for a while as Todoroki lost himself in thought.

"Will you…promise me something?" he finally spoke out. Yaoyorozu turned to look at him, but he continued looking out the car window.

"Anything, Todoroki," she answered quickly not even thinking about it.

He didn't move his head, but he slid his fingers between hers and gripped it tightly. Yaoyorozu blushed, and felt her heart fluttering.

"Promise me that you''ll…" he seemed to be stumbling for words, "Promise me that you'll stay safe."

Yaoyorozu felt lighter and couldn't help but smile.

"I don't know what I would do if…" he couldn't continue his sentence and cut himself off.

She knew what the rest of that sentence was and gripped his hand, "I promise."

He relaxed in his seat as if he lifted something heavy off his shoulders. Todoroki let himself sway onto Yaoyorozu's shoulder and closed his eyes, "I'm glad."

They stayed like this the whole drive. Yaoyorozu couldn't be happier.

* * *

"Hey, isn't that Yao-Momo and Todoroki?" Kirishima stopped walking and pointed at them, who were across the street and exploring the work site.

Kaminari went beside him and looked closely at them, "Eh? I never knew they were together! That Todoroki! Such a sly fox!"

"Hey now, don't look like that," Kirishima chuckled, giving Kaminari a pat on the back.

"Shut up! I can't do anything with you two yapping back there!" Bakugo yelled at them. Kirishima and Kaminari accompanied Bakugo as he went hunting for hero agencies to work at. Bakugo was busy looking through a magazine that featured the best agencies.

"Aren't you even a little curious, Bakugo?" Kaminari teased, "I mean, aren't you and Yao-Momo an item right now with all the pictures streaming on the internet?"

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Bakugo warned him, sparks going off in his fists. He growled and roughly opened up his magazine. _So that's what half-and-half's playing at._

 _Todoroki glared him down, walking closer, "But stay away from Yaoyorozu…She's too good for you,"_

"Tch," Bakugo groaned. _We'll see about that, half-and-half._

"Alright! I think it's time to hit up the bar!" Kaminari cheered, throwing his fists in the air.

Kirishima agreed and roughly put his arm around Bakugo's neck, "You look like you need a drink.

* * *

Once they finished visiting the site, Todoroki dropped off Yaoyorozu back at the hero agency. She opened the car door and was about to get out when Todoroki grabbed her wrist.

His cheeks turned a little pink and he couldn't look into her eyes, "Don't….Don't stay out too late."

Yaoyorozu smiled, "I'll try not to."

"Monsters come out at night," he explained further.

She nodded, trying to control the butterflies in her stomach. He was acting like an overprotective boyfriend.

They waved each other goodbye. Right when he left, Midoriya and Ochako arrived.

"I take it everything went well?" Midoriya asked.

Yaoyorozu excitedly shook her head and went straight into business. She took out a huge binder with her notes of the work site.

Ochako gloomfully eyed the binder, "That's going to take all night to file."

"Not if we put our all into it!" Yaoyorozu confidently stated with a gleam in her eye.

Midoriya and Ochako couldn't help but be swooned by her confidence.

* * *

 _And here I told him I wouldn't stay out too late._ Yaoyorozu felt a hint of guilt as she walked down the street. By the time Midoriya, Ochako, and herself finished processing, it was 10pm. Ochako asked Midoriya to spend the night at her place since it was closer. Midoriya steamed and stuttered nonsense. She told Yaoyorozu she could spend the night as well, but no way was she going to ruin Midoriya's fun. They wished each other a good night and went on their way.

She looked up at the brightness of the moon as she walked down the busy street. It was a Friday night so people were celebrating for the weekend.

Yaoyorozu remembered what Todoroki said, _"Monsters come out at night."_

She looked onto the busy crowd and assured herself that he was just overreacting. A group of ladies passed by her, giggling and rambling on about their ladies' night. She eyed a couple walking out of a sports bar.

The man was scolding his girlfriend, telling her that she had too much to drink and that he was going to take her home. She smiled like an idiot and leaned on her boyfriend. Yaoyorozu admired the couple as they walked past her.

She knew Todoroki would've done the same for her if he didn't go to his meeting. _I should've kissed him_.

Yaoyorozu continued, passing by the sports bar in a dreamy state until **_BOOM!_**

An explosion went off in the bar and out flew a male. He roughly landed on the sidewalk.

"I told you not to fucking mess with me!" a drunk Bakugo stumbled out of the sports bar, glass beer bottle in hand. She glared at him, irritated. _Why can't I ever get away from this guy?_

The opponent screamed in his highest pitch and attempted to escape from the blonde monster. Bakugo caught him by the leg. He used his free arm to take a swig from his bottle. After wiping his mouth, he roughly slammed the bottle to the ground, "You're not going anywhere, shit head!"

His hands sparked, and he was about the let if off in the guy's face. Yaoyorozu reacted hastily and wrapped Bakugo in a strong tape-like material. It caused Katsuki to fall on his side.

"What the FUCK!" Bakugo yelled, using every inch in his muscles to break free. He couldn't think well in his drunken state. The victim didn't wait for an explanation and ran off.

Yaoyorozu tightened the grip and scolded the writhing Bakugo, "You need to calm down!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I'll kill you!" Bakugo screamed at the top of his lungs, making sure the whole street heard.

She walked in front of him and placed her hands on her hips, "Bakugo, you know the rules!"

Bakugo shot Momo a death glare, "Ponytail!"

She created a wagon and dragged him onto it. He continued to violently wiggle his way out.

A vein popped on her forehead, "You asked for it…"

She created straps and fastened him to the wagon.

"Fuck you! You bitch!" he thrashed about like a wild animal, but was not able to break himself free.

"Hopefully no one reports you," she sighed, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. She took out his license and read it to find his apartment address. _Not too far from here._

He continued to scream out curse words as she pulled the wagon behind her.

* * *

By the time they arrived at the apartment, Bakugo was sound asleep. She smirked at him, "You're kind of cute when you're not acting crazy."

He groaned in his sleep, "I'll kill you…"

She held in her laugh and unfastened the straps and tape. He was too drunk to break out into his usual bursts. Momo knew Katsuki wasn't going to remember any of this when he wakes up. She slumped his heavy body over herself and managed to get into the apartment elevator and in front of his door.

 _Crap. I forgot to get his keys out._ She attempted to reach inside his pockets by sliding her arms under his. His face was buried in her neck; his breath reeked of alcohol. The warmness made her blush.

Yaoyorozu snapped out of it and opened the door with his keys. She readjusted Bakugo and walked him inside.

 _He's a pretty clean guy,_ she thought to herself as she observed the apartment, "Hey, Bakugo, if your apartment is so clean, why is your hair always a mess?"

He mumbled words that sounded like 'Bite me'.

She had her fun. The bedroom door was already open and she dragged him into his room. There was a sliding door leading to the outside balcony. She didn't bother turning on the lights as the moonlight was enough to illuminate the room.

"There you go," she said, dropping him on the bed. He groaned and turned to his side. His mouth was slightly open, letting out little snores. Based on the upkeep of his apartment, Momo knew he liked to keep clean, so she attempted to take off his shoes. He almost kicked her in the face and fell with his back on the bed.

She stood up and sighed. It was like taking care of a child. When he turned, his black shirt flipped up, revealing the burn mark from yesterday. Yaoyorozu observed it carefully. _I wonder what that's from._

She remembered that Katsuki and Shoto were alone in the office. _They must've gotten into a fight._

Thinking of their argument in her head made her roll her eyes at Bakugo's immaturity. After eyeing the burn mark, she shifted her attention to his stomach. Momo couldn't help but stare curiously at it. It was more well defined than she imagined it to be.

 _What are you thinking?_ She was starting to feel hot in the face.

It was not good for drunk people to sleep on their backs as they had a higher chance on choking on their vomit. She turned him to his side, telling him, "No, no, no, Bakugo…"

His red eyes shot open and in a second, Bakugo flipped Yaoyorozu under him.

"Don't tell me no, Ponytail," he growled, barring his teeth from his smile.


	5. Chapter 5: A Hot Mess

Chapter Five: A Hot Mess

 **-SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING-**

"Don't tell me no, Ponytail," he growled, baring his teeth from his smile.

 _What's with him all of a sudden?_ "Bakugo! Get off me!" she could feel her heart rate going up. He locked her wrists with his hands; his body felt heavy on top of hers. She couldn't escape.

"You've got some nerve tying me up," his eyes were focused on Yaoyorozu, red eyes shining in the dim room, "You should be punished for your actions!"

"Bakugo, you're drunk!" she yelled, trying to get some sense into him. She attempted to wiggle herself free, but his weight was too much for her.

This only made him tighten his grip, "Do you really think you can leave?"

Her body was weak under his gaze. She watched his every movement, somewhat curious to what he was going to do next. She stuttered as she spoke, "You don't know what you're doing! Y-You're not thinking straight!"

Katsuki ignored her words licked his lips, "Now let's find out why that half-and-half bastard likes you so much."

He kissed her neck and lightly sucked on it. She bit her lip, holding in her pleasure. _Why am I not moving?_

His mouth explored her neck and her chest. Yaoyorozu shivered from the sensation, her cheeks were getting flushed and she was feeling hot. Bakugo raised his head to meet her eyes. He had a smug look on his face, "You like that don't you?"

She didn't say a word to him. It was hard for Momo to control her breathing, she wanted to say, _I don't!_ but her body didn't agree with her.

"Gonna stay silent, huh?" he challenged her. Still, nothing came out of her mouth. He seemed pleased as he spoke, "I'm gonna make you scream by the end of the night."

He released his grip and backed off, leaving her on the bed. She moved quickly and had her back against the wall. Her hand was over her mouth, attempting to stop herself from panting. Yaoyorozu carefully watched him take off his shirt, revealing his amazing body. Bakugo was always in peak physical condition. Just the sight of his upper body made her head spin.

 _Why am I not running away? Why am I acting like this_? He crawled his way onto the bed. _Why am I not stopping him?_ His face was a few inches away from hers; she was focusing on his intense eyes. She felt his fingers gently stroke on her crotch. She flinched by his touch.

"It's so warm down here," he whispered.

"Stop it, Bak-" he pushed his hand over her mouth; her head tight against the wall.

"You talk too much," he growled, rubbing her harder. It made her legs writhe with pleasure. He liked what he was seeing. He moved his hand inside her uniform; her vaginal lips were slippery between his fingers. Her hips unconsciously pushed forward.

He menacingly laughed at her wetness, "Are you enjoying this?"

She shook her head and immediately, his middle finger pushed inside of her. She shut her eyes and threw her head back. His touch felt so good. But when she still didn't moan, he slid in his index finger. Yaoyorozu cocked her head to the side, facing away from him.

He held her chin and moved her face so that she could look at him. Right when she opened her eyes, he grinned and thrusted his fingers.

"Scream for me, Ponytail," he groaned. Yaoyorozu denied him, but couldn't deny the bursts of pleasure she was feeling. _You need to snap out of it, Momo._

"Mmmm!" she was biting her lip, holding herself back.

Bakugo pulled out his fingers and released her face. He backed off and played with the wetness he had on his fingers, showing her how much she was enjoying him. She was obviously aroused. He spoke, "Still denying me, huh?"

She gulped as he unzipped his pants. Her eyes were fixated on his zipper, and then moved up to meet his gaze. Momo was locked in his spell. Her fingers held on tightly to his bed sheets. _You can't let him do this._

She watched him make his way to her. Yaoyorozu didn't do anything when he ripped off the bottom part of her uniform. He bared an evil smirk and shoved himself inside of her. She wasn't able to hold it in.

"Ah!" she moaned loudly and wrapped her arms around Bakugo's neck. She wanted it – and she wanted it bad.

"That's what I want to hear Ponytail," he panted. He used the bed's headrest as support as he thrusted himself inside of her, sending shots of pleasure up her body. She could feel his breath on her neck. It gave her goosebumps.

"Mhmm…Ah…" Momo continued to moan with delight, embracing every inch of him. Her hands explored the ridges of his back muscles. She buried her face into Bakugo's neck as he continued to fuck her.

He moved back and roughly pulled her legs, making her back fall from the wall to the mattress. His hands gripped the back of her soft thighs, and he squeezed them playfully. He pushed himself deeper, losing himself inside of her.

"Ahhhhh…" _Why does it feel so good?_ She couldn't stop herself from making crude noises. Pressure was building up. Little shocks moved up to her toes, her body writhing with every movement he made. They were both panting and groaning, taking each other in.

His grip on her became tighter. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Her mind was going fuzzy and she felt herself getting more and more wet. Her fingers scratched into her shoulders, and she arched her back. He wrapped his hands around her, squeezing her closer to him as she came.

Katsuki smiled, satisfied with her body's response. But he wasn't done. He went harder and harder, shoving himself inside in the most arousing way. After several minutes of good fucking, he placed his hands to her side and finally released himself in her.

Their heavy panting echoed in the room. He held the back of her head and pressed his forehead to hers. Their noses touched, their lips so close together. She thought that he was going to kiss her. Katsuki only smirked, "Let's go again, Ponytail."

* * *

"Here's the information you wanted, Todoroki," Kyoka said as she handed him a folder labeled 'Creation Cult'. It was late at night and Kyoka had important matters to discuss with Todoroki about the case he hired her to work on. Earphone Jack was the best scouting agent he knew and based on the results, he wouldn't regret it.

Todoroki opened the folder and read through the file, "How many have they taken already?"

"Four," Kyoka sighed. She shook her head, "They're going to come for her soon. They just need two more and…"

"I won't make that happen," Todoroki interjected, "Midoriya and I will take care of it…"

"And what about Yao-Momo? You can't just leave her."

He closed the file and looked at her, answering in his serious tone, "I have someone in mind…"


	6. Chapter 6: Killing the Fire

Chapter Six: Killing the Fire

6:37am

Yaoyorozu woke up in a haze. She stared blankly at the white ceiling, the sun's light reflected off the walls. When she got up, she stretched her arms out and the blanket fell off her chest. She suddenly realized she was naked and attempted to cover herself. Everything that happened last night slapped her in the face.

 _I had sex with Katsuki Bakugo!_ she screamed in her head. When she turned to her right, Bakugo was sleeping soundly, letting out soft snores. She lifted the blanket to confirm it. Her cheeks blushed and she dropped the blanket quickly.

 _Yup, he's naked._ She buried her face into her hands. _What have I done?!_

Being careful not to wake him up, she carefully slipped off the bed. She felt immediate soreness in her body from the first movement. _That damn Bakugo... I definitely don't want to be here when he gets up._

She picked up what was left of her uniform off the floor and made herself a coat to cover herself. Before heading out the door, she shot one last look at Bakugo. It wasn't entirely his fault, but Momo couldn't help but feel a great deal of hatred towards him. Todoroki suddenly appeared in her mind. Her heart dropped and she leaned against the wall, agonizing over her mistake. It was eating her up.

 _I just have to live past it. It's over and done with. Just get over it._ She shook her head and walked out of Bakugo's apartment. Anger, guilt, and regret followed her on her way out.

* * *

7:35am

"S-Sorry I'm late!" Yaoyorozu came into Todoroki's office exhausted. She rarely had any sleep last night, she had to run back to her condo early this morning, shower, brush her teeth, and run back to the agency without eating anything.

Todoroki look at the time. _She's only five minutes late._

"It's okay," Todoroki was more concerned with the way she was acting. By time she came in, she was all over the place; pacing to his desk, to the bookshelf, to the notes, to the blueprints – she couldn't keep still.

 _Just act normal, just act normal_. She continued pacing back and forth, until she moved too fast and ended up tripping. Todoroki came up next to her and helped her up. _She looks exhausted._ "Did you get enough sleep last night? You seem out of it."

Yaoyorozu blushed, thinking about last night. He saw the tiredness in her eyes and grabbed her by the wrist, "Let's go get some coffee."

* * *

7:11am

"Bakugo! Open up!" Kirishima roughly knocked on Bakugo's apartment door.

"Are you sure he's even home?" Kaminari yawned, scratching his head, "Leaving us at the bar like that…That Bakugo is really something else. Buuuutttt I guess it's our fault for getting so plastered."

Kirishima kept on knocking, "Are you home, Bakugo?"

"Shut up!" Bakugo yelled, opening the door. He was holding his head, clearly hungover from last night.

Kirishima and Kaminari took one look at him and busted out laughing.

"Why the fuck are you laughing?" he got more irritated with the two.

Kirishima pointed, "Bakugo! You're naked!"

Bakugo looked down, but didn't seem to care. He just turned around and went inside, grumbling to himself. _That damn, Ponytail._

Kirishima and Kaminari continued laughing as they made their way into their living room. Bakugo pulled on his pants and grabbed his toothbrush from the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, he pulled out eggs from the fridge.

"Hey Bakugo, why were you naked anyway?" Kirishima asked curiously.

"There could be two possible explanations for this," Kaminari answered, "One, he's a stripper drunk. Two, he went home with someone and did the nasty, nasteehh!"

"Ohhhh!" Kirishima's eyes widened.

Kaminari egged him on, "So, _Ba-ku-go,_ who's the lucky lady?"

"None of your fucking business!" he groaned through his brushing, cracking the eggs into the pan.

"Ohhhh!" Kirishima yelled again, "So there was a lady!"

"I bet it was that girl in the tight red dress that kept talking to us," he ogled. Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and read it, "Eh? Jiro?"

"What's up?" Kirishima moved closer to him, trying to read his message.

"She added me to a group chat…Surprise party?"

"For who?"

"Looks like it's for Yao-Momo. They're going to throw her a surprise birthday party next week at her favorite restaurant."

"Sounds like fun," Kirishima turned his head to Bakugo, "Whaddaya say Bakugo, wanna-"

"Like hell I would," Bakugo replied, brushing his teeth harder.

"A simple 'no' woulda been fine."

8:04am

Although she was sitting down, Yaoyorozu couldn't keep still. Her fingers tapped on the table and her leg shook. Todoroki sipped on his coffee, still eyeing her.

 _I never want to see that stupid Bakugo again._ She stirred her latte and then looked up to Todoroki. Their eyes met. She was in awe.

"Momo?" he spoke.

Yaoyorozu flinched, not realizing how long she's been staring at him, "Y-Yes?"

He looked away, cheeks blushing. _So cute._ This was the first time he was acting like this in front of her, "I've been wanted to tell you something."

She felt her heart skip a beat. _Is he going to confess?_ Momo stared down at her hands. They were awkwardly quiet.

"Will you…" he gulped.

 _Damn._ Momo cursed at the sound of Todoroki's phone ringing.

"Please excuse me," he said before answering his phone. As he spoke, Yaoyorozu felt somewhat disappointed that Shoto didn't complete his question. He saw the look on her face and held her hand.

It surprised her, but she eased into it. Momo felt more relaxed. _I really do like you a lot, Shoto._

He continued to play with her soft fingers as he spoke over the phone. Yaoyorozu smiled at him, lost in a daydream.

As if on cue, Bakugo walked by the coffee shop. Katsuki eyed their hands.

Yaoyorozu saw him and slowly pulled her hands away from Todoroki. She met Bakugo's eyes, then immediately averted them. Bakugo stood still, looking intensely at Todoroki.

Wondering that made her react this way, Shoto turned back to see what she was looking at. His eyes hardened.

"I have to go," Shoto said in a serious tone then put his phone on the table, "Good morning, Bakugo."

They glared at each other.

"Tch," he simply brushed him off and continued on his way. Katsuki felt angrier than usual.

 _Why is she so frightened of him?_ Shoto wondered. "I'm sorry to spoil all this, but we have to head back to work."

"I…I don't mind at all," Yaoyorozu said, still shaken. When she got up, Todoroki intertwined his fingers into hers. Her face turned red at his handsome smile, making her forget about all about the awkwardness. He held onto her hand tightly, hoping that she'll never let him go.

 _So I don't exist anymore, eh?_ Katsuki's footsteps were pounding harder on the pavement. _That h_ _alf-and-half piece of shit._

* * *

A few days later…

"Have you seen these pictures?!" Midoriya smiled, shoving his phone in front of Todoroki's face. He showed off viral pictures of Todoroki and Yaoyorozu together in public.

"You don't have to yell so loud, Midoriya," Shoto slowly lowered Midroiya's phone.

"Ahhh, I didn't realize how romantic you were. I guess you only show that side to Yao-Momo, huh Todoroki?" Jiro teased.

Todoroki blushed and crossed his arms.

"So did you ask her?" Izuku asked delightfully.

"Don't show me that face, Midoriya."

"Anyway, Deku, we are requesting that you take up this assignment," Jiro handed Midroiya the 'Creation Cult' file, "We don't have much information on it."

Midoriya read through the file quickly, "It seems to be a cult that specifically seeks people who have creation quirks. It says here that they are involved with kidnapping…Mass Suicides…Crucifixion?!"

"We don't know what their objective is yet," Jiro sighed.

"We want you to follow us as back-up to infiltrate their suspected HQ," Shoto explained, "We leave in a month."

"Of course I'm in," Midoriya answered.

"We will handle everything at the agency accordingly," Shoto said.

Jiro's phone went off. She checked her phone, "Mina says that she's on her way with the cake."

"Ah! We still have to finish decorating!" Midoriya panicked, picking up the decorations.

They continued decorating the private room they rented. Luckily, Ochako was keeping Yaoyorozu busy while they set up. As time went by, each of UA's former Class 1-A entered the room, one after the other; all the students from Mineta to –

"K-K-Kacchan?!" Midoriya screeched.

Everyone was surprised to see him there. Bakugo wasn't the type to attend these sorts of things. He arrived together with Kirishima and Kaminari.

Kaminari scratched his head, "I thought you didn't want to go."

"I'll do whatever the fuck I want," Bakugo yelled, and then shot a death glare at Shoto, "Surprised to see me, half-and-half?"

Todoroki wasn't affected. Him and Momo's relationship has been getting stronger with each passing day. He has yet to confess his feelings for her, but was no longer worried about Bakugo's threat.

 _He threw his head back and let out a hearty, menacing laugh. Katsuki's smile stayed on his face as he got in Todoroki's face, "You're gonna regret saying that, bastard."_

Shoto smiled at the thought of it, believing there was nothing Bakugo could do to tear them apart.

"Thank you for coming," he said simply. Bakugo didn't reply and seated himself in the back.

Tsuyu laughed, "Bakugo hasn't changed at all."

Everyone's phones went off, signaling that Ochako was going to arrive with the birthday girl. They hid in their places and shut off the lights. Bakugo didn't care for any of this.

Oijiro stared awkwardly at Toru who was confused as to where she would hide.

When Yao-Momo opened the door, she turned on the lights. Everyone jumped out of their hiding places and yelled, "SURPRISE!"

One by one, people greeted her happy birthday.

Yaoyorozu was surprised and smiled at all the people who cared about her so deeply. That smile didn't last long once she laid her eyes on a certain someone.

 _Ba-Bakugo?!_


	7. Chapter 7: Bury the Hatchet

Chapter 7: Bury the Hatchet

 _Ba-Bakugo?!_ Yaoyorozu's eyes almost popped out. _Just don't acknowledge him Momo…_

The girls hurdled around Momo. She gave them a heartfelt, "Thank you."

"It was all Todoroki's idea!" Ochako explained.

"You're so lucky to have someone that cares about you so much," Toru said dreamily. Oijro sighed somewhere.

With every person Yaoyorozu spoke to, she couldn't help but feel Bakugo's eyes burning into her back. No matter how badly she tried to bury it, the feeling always followed her. When she turned to look at him, there he was, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. Seeing the worried look on her face made him grin. Her head started spinning.

"Sorry, I have to go to the restroom," she said, excusing herself. Bakugo got up from his chair and trailed behind her.

Midoriya looked around to make sure that Todoroki wasn't around to hear. He whispered to Ochako and Iida, "Kacchan and Yao-Momo must be close for him to come to this party."

He immediately regretted it once hearing crackling noises, "Ahh! Todoroki! I meant that he must uh…"

"Midroiya, there's no need to panic," Todoroki happened to pass by at the right moment, melting the ice he accidentally created around his cup. _Where is Yaoyorozu anyway?_

Right when Yaoyorozu was going to close the bathroom door, Bakugo shoved his way in. He closed the door behind him.

"You need to leave," Momo yelled softly, making sure no one could hear.

"In a moment," he responded.

"No! I mean you need to leave this party!" Momo corrected, "I don't want to see you anymore!"

"Oh?" Bakugo walked towards her, "You didn't tell me that when your legs were wrapped around me."

She was backed into a corner. He was up in her face, but she stared him down firmly, "You didn't know what you were doing that night. You were-"

"I know what I was fucking doing, Ponytail," he grinned, "Oh, that's right. I was doing _you._ "

He wouldn't dare let her forget that night – how badly she wanted him to fuck her.

"Well it was a mistake!" she quickly snapped back.

"Brave all of a sudden…How brave will you be when half-and-half finds out about us?"

She choked, "Are you….threatening me?"

"Don't worry, Ponytail," he smirked and leaned close to her, lips practically touching her ear, "That'll be our little secret."

With those words, he walked out of the restroom, "Enjoy your party."

She gathered her composure to walk to the sink, splashing herself with water. Looking at herself in the mirror, she noticed how flustered she was getting. _Why does he always make me feel like this?_

On his way to the room, Bakugo crossed paths with Todoroki.

"Enjoy the party, Bakugo," Todoroki told him after they passed each other. Bakugo just continued walking as if Todoroki didn't say anything. _Was he talking to her?_

When he reached the restroom, he knocked on the door, "Is everything okay,Yaoyorozu?

Once hearing his voice, Yaoyorozu opened the door, "Yes. Sorry. I just had a long day."

He noticed a change in her eyes, something he hasn't seen in the days that he's spent with her. He couldn't help but ask, "Did he say something to you?"

She shook her head immediately waving her hands in front of her, "No, no! He was just wishing me a happy birthday."

"I see," Todorki looked down at his feet.

Momo wanted to change the subject quickly. She spoke, "But I head what you did – organizing this party and all."

"Oh, it was no problem," Todoroki shook his head and placed his hand on the small of her back, "Let's go back, shall we?"

When they got back, Mina had shot glasses in her hand, "Let's go birthday girl! First round of the night!"

She tried to refuse, "No, I'm-"

"Deku! Get outta my face!" Bakugo yelled, throwing a beer bottle near Midoriya's feet.

"Kacchan! That's your third beer already!"

Once figuring out that Bakugo was going to be attending the party, she was quick to swallow the shots, even the one that was meant for Todoroki. Everyone yelled joyously.

"Let's all enjoy this night!" she yelled, anxiously, hoping that she could drown herself in alcohol to deal with Bakugo's presence.

The night was filled with fun and laughter. They played games, drank, sang karaoke, drank, and just caught up with each other. By the time Bakugo left, Momo was hammered.

"Jirooooooo," Momo sunk into her chair, her skirt pulling up.

Mineta saw this opportunity and snuck his way next to Momo, "So Yao-"

Jiro was quick to grab him and threw him away into the corner, "Not on my watch!"

Todoroki took off his jacket and placed it over Momo. She saw Todoroki and wrapped her arms around his waist. He flinched and blushed as her face was close to his crotch. Mineta screamed.

Yaoyorozu looked at Todoroki with begging eyes, "Shoto…I'm….drunk…."

"Alright, Todoroki!" Kaminari cheered, raising his glass.

"Stop encouraging it!" Jiro yelled at him.

Mina drunkenly raised a shot glass to Momo, "Another one!"

"That's enough out of you," Kirishima sighed, pulling Mina away from him.

"Who gave her another shot?!" Jiro screamed, seeing Momo chug down another shot.

Ochako was slumped next to Momo, and raised her bottle, also drunk, "Cheeeeerrrrsss!"

Midoriya scratched his head, "Okay, I think it's time for us to go."

Everyone did their part to help clean and left. By the time they finished, it was 11PM. It was just Midoriya, Ochako, Jiro, Kaminari, Momo, and Todoroki who were left. Midoriya and Todorki held the girls on their back. Kaminari was mumbling stuff on the floor.

"Mina went too far," Jiro sighed, irritated.

"They did have a lot of fun though," Midoriya chuckled. Ochako wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, making Midoriya flinch.

"Guess I gotta take this idiot home," Jiro dragged Kaminari but his shirt, "Will you guys be okay?"

Midoriya and Todoroki nodded their heads, and they all went their separate ways.

"Shotooooo," Momo spoke in her sleep.

Todoroki smiled and held her tightly, "I'm here, Momo."

By the time he reached her condo, there was a strange man in a black hoodie sitting on her steps. He had a shaved head with red stripes. He looked at Todoroki with a creepy smile on his face.

"Ah, good evening," the strange man greeted, "Will you help me? I'm looking for someone, but she doesn't seem to be home."

Todoroki studied the strange person carefully. If the stranger was at the right condo, he was obviously looking for Yaoyorozu. _Is he from the cult?_

The striped stranger tilted his head to look at Momo, who was sleeping on his back, "Oh, it looks like I found her."

"What business do you have with Yaoyorozu?" Todoroki asked sternly.

"I don't think I have to answer that!"

By the time Todoroki realized there was someone behind him, it was too late. The slim stranger took Momo and ran away.

"Yaoyorozu!" he yelled.

When Todoroki was going to chase after the stranger, the striped one threw out his hand to stab him. Todoroki dodged and grabbed his wrist, freezing him from his hand to his lower body to the ground. This gave Todoroki enough time to catch up with the person holding Yaoyorozu. He sprinted and when he was close enough, he froze the sidewalk until it reached the stranger.

"Crap!" the stranger was identified to be a girl with a black hoodie. When Todoroki got close enough, she poked out her tongue, yelling, "Psyche!"

Another stranger, a tall one, suddenly materialized in front of Todoroki and gave him a good, hard punch to the stomach. Todoroki fell to the floor, holding his stomach and coughing out blood.

He watched as the slim girl phased through his ice, with Yaoyorozu on her back. The tall one picked him up by the collar. When Shoto tried to freeze him, he phased through it. Todoroki watched the girl get farther and farther away. _I can't let her escape!_

Blood continued to seep out of his mouth. Todoroki gritted his teeth and gripped onto the stranger's forearm. He burned his skin.

The stranger yelped, causing him to release his grip on him. Todoroki fell to the floor, but quickly gathered himself, running towards the girl. Right when she was in his sight again, the striped one grabbed him by the collar and the tall one materialized in front of him, knife to his face.

The girl disappeared into the darkness. Just then, a set of small explosions went off in the distance. Smoke blew in their direction.

"What the hell?!" the striped stranger faced in that direction. Todoroki used this moment of confusion and let out fire from his body, allowing him to escape in the direction of the explosions. _Is that-_

Bakugo leaped out from the smoke, carrying Yaoyorozu in his arms and landing in front of Todoroki, "How did you-"

"I thought these fuckers looked suspicious in their black hoods and all," Bakugo growled.

The slim girl limped out of the smoke, holding her face, covered in blood.

"This one is strong brother!" she laughed, "If I didn't fully phase, my face would've been blown off."

The tall one walked towards them, but was stopped by the striped one.

He spoke, "We need a better plan…We can't do this with Ava injured."

"But I can still fight, brother!" she screamed.

"That's enough, Ava!" he scolded her then turned to Bakugo and Todoroki. The striped stranger bared his creepy smile again, "Don't wait up too long for us."

The tall one placed a hand on the striped one's shoulder. And just like that, they materialized out of sight.

"Damn bastards," Bakugo hissed.

"Shotooo," Yaoyorozu mumbled. She was too drunk to acknowledge anything that happened around her. She lazily opened her eyes and saw Bakugo. Once their eyes met, Yaoyorozu turned around and hurled.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Katsuki yelled and fussed, but didn't dare let her down. Shoto sighed, somewhat relieved that it was over for the moment.

* * *

"We can't let her sleep like this," Todoroki stated while they hovered over Yaoyorozu sleeping on her bed.

"What did you want us to fucking do, half-and-half?!" Bakugo asked, annoyed with his presence.

"She just threw up, she needs to be…" Todoroki hesitated for a moment, "…cleaned."

"So what? You're going to bathe her?"

Todoroki blushed at the thought of it, "I'll just get a wet cloth and brush her teeth then."

He went into her restroom and grabbed whatever he needed.

 ** _A few minutes later…_**

"You idiot…" Bakugo twitched at the toothpaste stains around Yaoyorozu's mouth, "Why'd you brush her teeth if you couldn't rinse her mouth?!"

"I don't see you helping either," Todoroki responded, attempting to wipe the stains from her face, "She's really out of it."

"She'll be fine, just let her sleep," when Bakugo was about to exit, he noticed Todoroki seating himself on her bedroom couch.

Todoroki acknowledged his curiousness and said, "It's not safe to leave her here. I'll stay with her tonight."

"Tch," Bakugo stood at the door for a moment, "They won't come back for a while. They're coming up with a better plan to take Yaoyorozu."

Todorki knew he was right, but still wanted to stay, "I'll protect her."

"Yeah cause you did a fucking great job tonight," Bakugo scoffed sarcastically, "How can you call yourself a fucking hero if you can't protect your woman?!"

Todoroki clenched his fists in anger, but he couldn't find an excuse for his actions tonight. There was nothing he could say. Bakugo had to be the one to save her because he wasn't strong enough – simple as that. He started to think critically about all his decisions up to this moment.

"Whatever you're planning, you better make damn sure they don't win in the end," Bakugo left with those final words, leaving Todoroki with his thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8: Weight of the World

Chapter 8: Weight of the World

 _Momo pulled up Bakugo's shirt and her fingers explored every ripple on his body. She pressed her mouth to his neck, and lightly nipped it. Bakugo let out a soft groan, enjoying the warmth of her mouth on his neck. He pulled her head up, and met her gaze, eyes flickering up and down her body. Bakugo moved closer to her face and finally planted his lips onto hers._

"Ahhhh!" Yaoyorozu immediately shot up, and everything in her brain spun from her hungover. She couldn't recall all of her dreams that night, but this one stood out the most. The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was taking a shot with Mina. Then again, she took a lot of shots with Mina. In her mind were glimpses of people in black hoodies, explosions, and flashes of Todoroki calling her name. _The alcohol must've gotten into my brain._

When she turned to slip her legs off the bed, she noticed Todoroki sitting back on her couch with his head slumped over, asleep. Dark spots could be seen under his eyes from the lack of sleep. She got up and walked to him. He was such a peaceful sleeper.

Her fingers pulled aside the hair that was covering his face. She always thought he was good-looking, but more so now. She bit her lip, holding back her urge to kiss him. _Arrgghh! I'm gonna do it!_

Momo's lips kissed his forehead, and she quickly ran out of the room, quietly giggling.

 ** _A few minutes later…_**

Todoroki woke up to the smell of breakfast. He rubbed his tired eyes and sat up, yawning, "Did I oversleep?"

His eyes searched for Momo on the bed, but he figured by the smell of breakfast that she was up before him. When he walked into the kitchen, Yaoyorozu was setting up the table with a grin on her face. After noticing him, her grin got wider.

"Good morning, Todoroki," she greeted him with a hum in her voice and took her seat. Her hand reached out, signaling him to have a seat as well.

"You didn't have to do this, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki took his seat and smiled, "But, thank you."

Momo looked down, cheeks blushing, "I wanted to do this for you."

She grabbed his plate and served him his food. As she handed his plate to him, her eyes flickered around nervously. _I hope he likes it._

He took a bite and noticed Momo watching him carefully, "It's good."

Her face gleamed, satisfied with his reaction. She got herself food and ate happily. Momo was in a good mood today, regardless of her hangover. She playfully swung her legs like a child as she spoke, "Todoroki, may I ask you something?"

He stopped eating for a moment to give her his full attention.

She fiddled with her thumbs, "Co-Could I call you, Shoto?"

Besides his immediate family, no one else called him by his first name. He was in awe of her cuteness and nodded his head, blushing.

"And….you can call me Momo."

He nodded his head again and stared down at his food, shyly, "Of-Of course."

They continued to eat breakfast like a married couple. He informed her of her silly actions last night: singing karaoke, overindulging in alcohol, passing out. As she laughed at herself, he noticed that every single thing about her was perfect for him – especially her smile. Her smile was too much for him; it made his heart pace too fast.

Todoroki shared about last night, but he didn't dare tell her about the Creation Cult. He stayed up all night coming up with a plan. All the things that were bright to him suddenly darkened.

Bakugo's words replayed in the back of his mind, _How can you call yourself a fucking hero if you can't protect your woman?!_

 _Damn…_ His grip on the utensils tightened as he ate. He looked at her, his heart dropping as he thought about how he had to let her go. The smile on his face slowly faded away.

* * *

Yaoyorozu expected the past few days to be magical, especially since she felt closer to Shoto. However, she hasn't seen him since that day they had breakfast together. It's just been Ochako and Momo working at the agency. Midoriya stopped by at times, but he mostly ran off to attend meetings.

There were different reasons calculated in her head to explain Shoto's sudden business. But the worst possible reasons always lingered. _Maybe he doesn't feel the same way? Maybe I scared him off? Did I do something to offend him? Ughhhh…_

It was easy to see that Momo was frustrated – she couldn't keep still. Ochako watched her wander around as they were already done working for the day. Momo kept mumbling to herself.

"Am I just being crazy?" Momo finally spoke up, placing all the files on the table, "It's like he suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth."

Ochako shook her head. "Todoroki's been the one running the meetings so he's busy."

"Then how come he hasn't replied to my messages or answered my calls?"

"Don't worry about it, Yao-Momo. I'm sure he has his reasons."

"How can you be so sure?"

Ochako sighed and smiled at her, "You know, Deku tells me that Todoroki always talks about you. Todoroki doesn't say much. But when he does, it's usually about you."

Yaoyorozu felt more at ease with those words. She thought about all the times she's spent with him. In all those moments, she couldn't imagine herself any happier. The way she felt about him couldn't be explained; it was only something she knew. If she wanted all her worries to go away, she had to tell him how she felt.

"Alright!" Momo clenched her fist shakily, "I'm going to tell him how I feel!"

"That's the spirit!" Ochako rooted for her.

Momo shook as she took out her phone. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she felt obligated to. Figuring that he'd be in a meeting, Momo decided to text him instead.

"Please meet café 5pm. Need to tell you important info."

* * *

Todoroki stared blankly at his phone. He's been avoiding Yaoyorozu purposely these last few days, but he missed her greatly. Bakugo's words continuously drilled into his mind and he couldn't escape it. His guilt made it hard for him to face her.

"Todoroki?" Midoriya placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts, "We're going to begin."

Shoto shook his head. He had to do what was best. Walking into the conference room with Midoriya, Todoroki kept his calm manner, even if he felt broken inside.

"Let's begin, shall we?" he took his seat in the middle of the table. Izuku Midoriya, Kyoka Jiro, Eijiro Kirishima, and Denki Kaminari sat at the table. This was the team Todoroki assembled a few days ago to infiltrate the Creation Cult headquarters. They've been briefed about the plan for the pre-emptive strike on the headquarters. There was still one crucial part of the plan that needed to be done before they could begin.

"T-that's…" Kirishima wasn't too comfortable with the idea after Todoroki shared it with the team, "Are you sure that's okay with _you_?"

"That's pretty dangerous," Kaminari added.

Shoto nodded, forcing himself not to exhibit any trace of emotion on his face – no matter how terrible it made him feel, "This person…is the best one for the job."

The members knew how Todoroki felt about Momo – it was obvious to everyone but himself. Whatever they said wouldn't change his mind. He believed this was all necessary to protect the person he cared about the most.

"As I have mentioned before, Momo cannot know about this," Todoroki explained. The team flinched. He's been calling her 'Momo' the past few days and the team still wasn't used to it. They didn't question it either; it only showed how close they were.

"If we did tell her, the success rate of the mission could go downhill," as Momo's best friend, Jiro strongly agreed, "I'm sure she'll try to find some way to help us instead – even if _she's_ the one in danger."

"But something is still bothering me," Midoriya was always the type to over-analyze things, "How are you going to explain our absences to Yao-Momo? Well…yours especially, Todoroki."

Todoroki turned to his phone, hesitant to answer his question, hesitant to leave her.

"I'll take care of it," he said in a low voice. He stepped out of the room, not hearing the others call his name.

He walked into the hallway and when he was far enough from the others, he slammed his fist on the wall, steam escaping his hands. He had to control himself.

"Shoto?"

The sound of her voice made him feel calm. It's been days since he's seen her, but his feelings for her haven't changed. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

"Shoto, are you okay?" she walked closer to him.

She spoke so softly. The more she called his name, the more his heart tightened. He just wanted to be with her again, but he had to be patient. If destiny allowed it, then they will be together. He knew he had to do it now. He knew he had to break her heart.

Yaoyorozu held his face. Her thumb rubbed his scarred cheek and he let his face fall into her hand. Her touch made him feel at ease.

"Sorry, I couldn't wait until later," Momo smiled sweetly.

"Momo, I…" Todoroki choked, not able to let the right words fall out, "I'm glad you're here."

Hearing him say that made the tenseness in her body go away. Confessing to him was going to be natural for her now. It felt so right.

"I really missed you," her eyes flickered nervously to the floor, blushing as she spoke, "I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now."

His brain wouldn't let him mouth out the words. He was well aware of what was happening, and he didn't want to stop it.

Her face came closer to his, her hand still holding his cheek. She whispered, "Shoto, I think I'm in love with you."

She stared at him for a moment, then finally pressed her lips onto his. Todoroki felt everything fall off his shoulders. Her arms flung around his neck and he pulled her waist closer to his, kissing her back. It was a soft gentle kiss and it was everything Momo and Shoto expected it to be. In that moment, they only saw each other. Everything felt right. This moment right now – perfect.

Then it all came flashing back to him. The Creation Cult. How she almost disappeared from his life. How he failed to save her. It made Todoroki snap away from her.

"What's wrong?" Momo asked, trying to reach out to him.

"Momo, I can't," he said weakly, avoiding her touch, "I can't be around you. You need to leave."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was starting to feel heavy.

"What did you say?" she heard it the first time, but denied what she heard.

Todoroki was scrambling for words. His mind wasn't thinking straight – his heart was tearing apart, "I'm saying that I don't want to see you anymore. I'm…"

He averted his gaze. It was hurting him to look into her sad eyes. He gritted his teeth and finally let the words fall out, "I'm ending everything with you."

What felt heavy to her made her, suddenly made her feel numb. She was shattered. The only thing that came out of her was her sorrowful tears. All she wanted to do was get out of there, far away from the man she thought she loved. She ran.

Todorki's body slumped back into the wall. He wished he never felt true happiness because only now could he experience what true sadness was. It was a pain like no other in this world.

Jiro walked up behind him, sympathy in her voice, "Is this what you wanted, Todoroki? To break her heart?"

No matter how badly it hurt him, he knew it had to be done. It was for the best.

* * *

Bakugo was interrupted in the middle of his workout. He turned down the loud music that echoed in his apartment to answer the banging on his door. The knocks started sounding impatient. It irritated him.

"What the fuck?!" he opened the door, but was taken by surprise as she threw her arms around him. She buried her face into his chest and gripped onto him tightly.

He scoffed and placed his hand on her head, "I knew you'd be back, Ponytail."


	9. Chapter 9: Let it Out

Chapter 9: Let it Out

 **-SEXUAL CONTENT WARNING-**

When she finally settled down, Bakugo took her by the wrist and sat her down on the couch. Taking a seat next to her, she immediately pounced on him and kissed him, causing them to fall back on the couch cushions. She shut her eyes tightly, attempting to close off all her feelings for Todoroki.

He pulled away from her face quickly, "Hold on, Ponytail. No kissing. I don't like that couple bullshit."

"Whatever, I don't care," Momo plainly stated, pulling off her top.

Bakugo smirked, amused by her attitude. He unhooked her black bra and shoved her on her back, fondling with her breasts.

"Ah!" she let out a soft moan as his tongue flickered her nipple. His fingers pinched the other one, making her moan louder. He moved downwards, pulling off her lacey black underwear and spreading her legs.

"Hey, what are you –ahhh…" she groaned once feeling his tongue swipe across her clit. Bakugo's tongue ran up and down her pussy, tasting every inch of her. His mouth lightly sucked on her clit, pushing his tongue in and out of her. It made her go wild. She felt herself getting more slippery between his lips.

"Mmmm, Bakugo," her fingers ran through his hair as he licked her. His warm, soft tongue rubbed on her lips. She could feel herself reaching her peak, "I-I'm going to cum…"

Her legs trembled when she finally came into his mouth. He sat up and wiped his mouth with his forearm, smiling. His smile made her hornier. She pushed him to his back and unzipped his pants. Her eyes fixated on his throbbing cock. She stroked it with her hand. Momo lowered herself onto him, taking him all in her mouth. He flinched from her touch, letting out a groan.

He played with him – sucking on it, using her tongue, and thrusting her mouth into it. All the time, not looking him in the eyes. She used her hand and twisted into it. He threw his head back, groaning. Every stroke made him feel weak.

"Just fuck me already, Ponytail," he panted. She didn't hesitate and propped herself on top, taking him in. They both let out a moan when he entered her body.

Her hips swung into him, his cock rubbing deep insider of her. His hands gripped onto her ass as she rode him. She rocked her hips faster and harder and his hands explored her body. He placed his hands on her hips, thrusting himself inside Momo. She screamed with pleasure.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, while his arms wrapped around her waist. Their faces were close, all the moment looking into each other's eyes. He enjoyed looking at her face while he fucked her. He enjoyed seeing the intense pleasure in her face.

A flash of Todoroki's face appeared in Momo's mind. Her eyes shut tight and she nuzzled into Bakugo's neck, trying to get him out of her mind. Her arms wrapped tighter around him, breathing hard on his neck.

"It feels so good, Bakugo," she moaned. Hearing her say that made him more aroused. He went in harder and faster.

He held her tight as felt himself climaxing – gritting his teeth and pushing down on her hips. He threw his head back, letting out a satisfied grown. She made a towel for herself. When she got off his lap, all the cum came out of her, dampening the cloth.

Bakugo zipped his pants back up and stood up to grab a water bottle from the fridge. Momo proceeded to the bathroom, still naked. They acted as if nothing happened.

"I'm going to shower," she told him before shutting the door.

He drank his water bottle halfway and yelled to her, "Shower all you want, it's not going to wash away your guilt."

"Bite me," she responded through the door and turned on the shower.

Bakugo chuckled to himself and chugged down the rest of his water.

His phone started going off on the table. He took a look at the number. It wasn't a number he recognized, but he answered it anyway.

"Yeah?" he answered rudely.

"Bakugo," Todoroki greeted. He was the last piece of Todoroki's plan, "I have a job offer you can't refuse."

Todoroki's voice made him annoyed, "I already fucking told you, bastard."

"Like I said," he continued, making his voice louder whilst interrupting him, "You cannot refuse this offer."

"Well then," Bakugo leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. He was intrigued, "What the fuck are you waiting for? Persuade me."

 ** _A few minutes later…_**

When Yaoyorozu exited the shower, Bakugo was sitting on his couch, watching television. She took a seat next to him, already dressed, while using a towel to dry her hair.

Bakugo didn't turn to look at her, "Decided to stay this time, huh?"

She shot a glare at him, "I already told you: that night was a mistake. It wasn't supposed to happen."

"And yet, here you are," he said smugly. Momo rolled her eyes and slumped in her chair, accepting defeat. They sat together in silence, letting the television drown them out. Strangely, she didn't feel uncomfortable. She didn't feel like she had to strike up a conversation or try hard to be proper. It was just Bakugo anyway. What he thought about her didn't matter to Momo.

"So that Todoroki shithead dumped you?" he caught her off-guard.

"How did you…"

"Why else would you fucking be here?" even Bakugo knew how much she cared about him. It was easy to see that just by looking at her dried up eyes. Bakugo was well-aware that he was just being used to blow off steam. He was her guilty pleasure.

Bringing up the subject made Momo's eyes watery again. The wound was still fresh to her. Sex couldn't make her forget how much she was in love with Shoto.

Bakugo sighed. He roughly patted her wet hair, making it messy.

She threw his hand, yelping, "Hey!"

Momo had to fix her hair again, puffing up her cheeks. She snapped her eyes to him and was about to lecture him. But, she was taken away by his smirk. Her eyes weren't so watery anymore, and she slumped back to the couch as they watched the TV in silence.

* * *

Kirishima's eyes almost popped out once seeing Momo sleeping on Bakugo's couch. Despite the pictures posted on the internet, he wasn't aware of them being 'friends'. Kirishima decided to stop by Bakugo's apartment to talk to him about Todoroki's offer. He wanted to talk to him before he accepted it.

He let out a yell from shock, but stopped himself to avoid waking her. She tossed comfortably in the couch.

"W-Why is she here?!" Kirishima whispered loudly, "Don't tell me you accepted Todoroki's offer already?"

"I can do whatever the fuck I want," Bakugo whispered as loudly as he could. It surprised Kirishima that he didn't want to wake her either.

Kirishima scratched his head, still processing all of this, "Bakugo, that's Todoroki's girl. Hanging around with her too much-"

Bakugo let out a laugh, "What?! I might actually _like_ her? Are you forgetting who you're talking to?"

He sighed, "It's not that…People are going to get hurt."

"We're just fucking, Kirishima."

"You're – WHAT?!" his voice cracked and he placed his hands over his mouth again to control himself.

Momo grumbled in her sleep and pulled her legs up to her chest, revealing her lacy underwear.

It made Kirishima yell through his hands, averting his eyes elsewhere, cheeks blushing. It had no effect on Bakugo. Kirishima placed a blanket over her, trying his best not to look.

He whispered, "This is really a bad idea, Bakugo."

"I'm a bodyguard. Stop overreacting."

"A 24/7 bodyguard! You're practically living with her! How do you _not see_ the problem?!" the red head waved his hands around to emphasize his point.

"Then let me fucking deal with that."

Kirishima slapped his forehead. He usually admired Bakugo for his manliness and his striking confidence – but not right now. It was obvious to see that it was a bad idea.

"Bakugo! . !" he growled loudly.

Yaoyorozu stretched and yawned. Kirishima flinched, and had to attempt to act like he didn't know anything.

She looked around for Bakugo, but was surprised when she saw Kirishima. He waved at her, unnaturally.

His presence made her panic, "Oh…uhhh. Bakugo and I were just errr – discussing something. And it was a long day so…and boring! I fell asleep. "

"Ahhhh…ohh. I see," Kirishima responded. They both laughed nervously.

"Well, I have to get going. It's pretty late. I'll seeyoualllaterthenokaybye!"

She rushed out the door without waiting for them to say 'goodbye'. Kirishima let out a breath of relief when she left.

"Out of all the girls in the world…You chose Todoroki's," Kirishima shook his head.


	10. Chapter 10: Tighten the Grip

Chapter 10: Tighten the Grip

"Why am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?" Kirishima banged his fists on the table. The team reviewed the plan to infiltrate the Creation Cult's headquarters while they waited for Todoroki. Kaminari, Jiro, and Midoriya sighed in frustration.

Kirishima was still hung up on the 'Bakugo Bodyguard Plan'.

"It was Todoroki's decision," Jiro stated.

Midoriya further explained, "You have to understand: It's his way of redeeming his pride."

Kirishima slumped over the table. He had to find a way to talk them out of it, "But aren't you worried about, Yao-Momo?"

"Yeah right," Kaminari snorted, leaning back in his chair, "Like Yao-Momo would hook up with someone like Bakugo!"

"Imagine: Sweet Yao-Momo and Crazy Killer Bakugo!" Jiro tried to reassure Kirishima, "She likes Todoroki too much! She would never!"

"And Kacchan may be violent and all, but I don't think he would do something like that," Midoriya added.

While they joked, Kirishima was sweating bullets. He was the only one who knew about Bakugo's and Yaoyorozu's fling.

"B-But…Bakugo…"

Todoroki entered the room. It was all quiet as he sat in his chair. He saw their suspicious faces but tried to ignore it.

"O-Okay. Back to business," Todoroki turned on the projector and proceeded to leading the meeting.

* * *

"Your bedsheets smell like old lady perfume," Bakugo complained, getting himself comfortable in Yaoyorozu's bed, "How do you expect me to take a nap in this shit?"

On his way to the gym, Bakugo decided to take a detour to Yaoyorozu's condo for some good 'cardio'. Once he finished his workout, he was too tired to go to the gym.

They've been seeing each other for a couple of days out of the week now. There were times were they texted each other for booty calls, or just called each other to 'meet.' They made sure not to linger around each other to avoid becoming more than what it was. It was a simple hit-and-split. But, today was different.

Yaoyorozu fixed her hair into a Ponytail, "It's your fault for coming here. I was going to head to your place tonight anyway."

Bakugo nuzzled his face into her velvety pillow. He claimed to dislike the smell, but he seemed pretty comfortable.

She laughed, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Oh, you're still talking?"

She glared at him a got a good grip on his butt cheek, pinching it real hard. He yelped and threw a pillow to her. Momo dodged it and hastily escaped to the kitchen, still naked. She poked out her tongue to him before leaving.

 _Stupid cute bitch,_ he mumbled, laying his head on the pillow. He drifted off to sleep.

 ** _A few minutes later…_**

"Get up," Yaoyorozu shook him and placed her hands on her hips, wearing nothing but her apron.

She winked at him.

 _Damn._

"Don't fucking wake me up like that, Ponytail," he smiled and tried grabbing her to join him in bed.

She pulled away from his grip and walked towards the kitchen, "I made lunch so go into the kitchen."

"I'm hungry for something else," he said, licking his lips.

Momo shook her head and pulled him out of bed. He slipped on his black joggers and followed her into the kitchen.

By the time he got into the kitchen, Momo was already eating. He sat down and made himself a plate. When he took his first bite, he flinched.

"You put too much salt," he told her bluntly.

She continued eating, brushing it off, "It tastes fine to me. If you don't like it, don't eat it."

"Tch," he stood up, grabbing both of their plates. Momo gasped as he dumped the food in the trash.

"What are you-"

"I'll show you how to fucking cook," he showed off a cocky grin. He searched through her fridge, taking out the necessary ingredients, and placed them on the counter. Bakugo grabbed a knife and waved her over. She rolled her eyes and walked over to him.

Suddenly, an arm phased through the wall, taking the knife from Bakugo's hand. The girl fully phased through him and went straight for Momo.

"Fuck!" he yelled, attempting to grab the Creation Cult member.

The girl landed on top of Momo, pushing both of them to the floor. She had a knife to Momo's neck.

She cocked her head towards Bakugo, "Hey asshole! I'm back!"

Yaoyorozu reacted immediately. A staff shot out of her hand, and she attempted to hit her with it. The girl easily phased through it, but Bakugo saw this coming and shoved his hand in her face. He got a good grip and let the explosion go off. She phased through it again.

When Momo felt the girl's body phase back to normal, she rolled her on her back and trapped the girl in her grip. Bakugo got the knife out of her hand. She struggled, but wasn't able to break free.

 _Three times._ Momo calculated the number of times she could phase.

"Bitch can fight," the member said menacingly.

"Who are-ARGH!" when Momo tried to get some answers, the girl shoved herself off the ground to give her a rough headbutt, causing Momo to fall on her back. Once Momo got off the girl, Bakugo went between them and blew a huge explosion off his hand. It destroyed most of the condo.

He flinched from the pain and held onto his forearm. Momo carefully stood up, still dizzy from the headbutt. _Did we get her?_

When it cleared up, the girl's tall twin held her up by the wrist. The girl was struggling to get herself free, kicking about.

"I can still kill him!" she growled, "Let me do this!"

The brother took one look at her and she shut her mouth. Afterwards, he eyed Bakugo.

"I apologize for my sister's actions," he spoke, "She decided to go on her own despite father's wishes. Regardless, I believe-"

"Mother fucking shithead! Why the fuck are you after her?!" he yelled, interrupting the polite man's words.

"Why, that's none of you're concern. However, I will be happy to tell you that we will be prepared to capture her in – Oops! Almost exposed our plans. Now if you would please exc-"

Bakugo shot another round of explosions towards them, but they materialized out of there.

Momo took a seat where she could, somewhat shaken. Half of the condominium was practically destroyed, but that's not what bothered her.

"Who were those people?" she asked.

Bakugo had to think carefully about his words. There were some things he wanted to tell her, but some things he couldn't. He only went as far as explaining the Creation Cult and their desire to kidnap her. He didn't tell her anything about Todoroki's attack or how he was working for him.

Momo looked up at him, "And how did you know about this?"

"I can't tell you," he simply answered.

She averted her eyes to her hands that was resting on her lap, "Have…you been around me only to protect me?"

Todoroki specifically requested that his own name not be mentioned. Bakugo accepted that, but didn't want to answer that question either.

 _I can't believe he did all of this._ Momo appreciated Bakugo for what he truly was – a hero. Still, she felt guilty for involving himself in all of this. He went up to him and massaged his forearm. He didn't notice that he was holding it all this time.

She massaged his muscles, "Please don't worry about this. I will take care of-"

"Like hell you would, Ponytail!" he snapped, "You're place is a wreck and there's crazy-ass fucking people going after you."

"What do you propose I do then?! Continue to put you in danger?"

"I will fucking deal with that! This is my decision!" he yelled.

It's difficult to change Bakugo's mind once he's already set on something. Yaoyorozu admired him for that – it reminded her of Todoroki.

"You're going to stay with me until they come back for you. Then I will kick their asses," he cracked his knuckles and laughed maniacally.

Her head started to get dizzy again, but this time it wasn't from the headbutt. _Living…with Bakugo?!_

Sure, she slept with him a couple of nights and saw him for most days of the week but living together is a whole other level. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that. Then again, Momo didn't have anywhere else to stay nor did she want to involve anyone else. It was the best possible solution until her condo is fixed again.

 _I guess I'm living with Bakugo._

* * *

Kirishima believed that the only way to make things back to normal was if he convinced the mastermind behind all this – Shoto Todoroki. He sent him a text beforehand to expect his arrival. By the time he came to his doorstep, Todoroki had already opened the door for him.

"Good evening," Todoroki lead him into his house, "Please, come in."

They walked into his dining room and took a seat. Todoroki picked up a cup, "Would you like some-"

"You have to listen to me, Todoroki," Kirishima went straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time, "Making Bakugo protect Yao-Momo is a bad idea."

Todoroki set down the tea cup and allowed him to continue.

"Just hear me out," he waved his hands, "So, I'm not saying that it's _gonna_ happen. I'm saying that it _could_ happen."

"Okay."

"You broke Yao-Momo's heart right?"

His face got somewhat gloomy, even though he was trying hard to keep it normally blank.

"Ack! Sorry! Anyway, you break her heart, she cries boo-hoo."

"What's your point, Kirishima?" it didn't feel good to hear any of this for Todoroki.

"Her heart is broken, and Bakugo is there by her side. What do you think is going to happen?"

He stayed silent, crossing his arms.

"What if – and I mean IF – she uses Bakugo as her rebound? And Yao-Momo isn't exactly bad-looking so…" he was already expecting a response from him.

Kirishima continued, "Well, Todoroki, what happens when Bakugo is no longer her rebound? What if…she falls in love with him?"

He studied Todoroki's face, trying to find any kind of response. He has been quiet for quite a while.

"I'm sure fate has something planned for all of us," he finally answered. Kirisihima was confused.

"That night – I could never forget. But it made me realize that I wasn't strong enough for her. No matter how I feel about Bakugo, he's the better one for the job. This is the best I can do to protect her."

Kirishima wanted so badly to tell him everything. Yet, he knew that telling him would help no one and that it will just hurt people. Was telling the truth the right thing to do?

"I…I understand," Kirishima lowered his head accepting defeat.

Todoroki admired Kirishima's feelings for Bakugo – he was his best friend after all.

Attempting to cheer him up, Todoroki asked, "Would you like to join me for some coffee? Yaoyorozu and I used to go to this great café down the street."

Not wanting to refuse, he half-smiled and nodded. Coffee wasn't exactly his thing, but he appreciated Todoroki's offer.

* * *

"I don't fucking understand," Bakugo complained carrying her box of belongings, "Can't you just create things? Creati my ass."

"Why would I waste these things? And besides, it's only one box, Bakugo. I could carry it myself."

He ignored his words and continued cursing nonsense as they walked to his apartment. She argued back with him, but suddenly stopped in her tracks once looking ahead of her.

"What's your problem?" he asked. Bakugo peered from behind the box. Shoto Todoroki and Eijiro Kirishima were walking in their direction, not noticing their presence just yet.

She felt herself panicking and tried to calm herself down as she trembled. The last time she saw Todoroki was when she confessed to him and got harshly rejected. Catching her with Bakugo, wasn't something she wanted Shoto to see or know about at all. But she couldn't escape.

"He-Hello, Todoroki," she greeted him nervously with a sad tone in her voice.

He, too, was still heartbroken. Seeing her in the flesh made his chest sink. Calling him by his last name again added to his pain.

"Hello…Yaoyorozu," he responded. Neither of them had the courage to look at each other.

It was awkward, especially for Kirishima who knew everything about them.

"Y-Yo! Bakugo! Yao-Momo! What's up!" Kirishima greeted them strangely, trying to break the tension in the air.

Shoto turned to Bakugo, "And, what brings you here?"

The question made Yaoyorozu flinch. She looked down at her feet in silence.

Bakugo answered with a big grin on his face, pushing all their feelings aside, "She's moving in with me. Hope that's not a problem."

The thought of it made Shoto's stomach twist, but he dare not show it. He held in the flames that felt like burning everything to the ground. Through his grit, he asked, "How exactly did THAT happen?"

"We encountered a 'problem'. An explosion destroyed her place," Bakugo explained discreetly letting him know about the Creation Cult's attack. Momo was still unaware that Todoroki was the one who knew about the Creation Cult first, "It's only temporary – I _hope._ "

This signaled that Bakugo wanted this to be all over with quickly so he could get back to his normal life and collect his compensation. Todoroki nodded. The strike will take place in a few more days.

"That's oddly nice of you," Todorki complimented, placing his hand on Bakugo's shoulder.

 _Fuck you,_ Bakugo whispered to him, feeling the slight burn on his shoulder.

Todoroki's calm response to all of this made Yaoyorozu feel worse.

"C'mon, Todoroki, let's get to that coffee shop," Kirishima pushed him along. When they were no longer in sight, Todoroki gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. It did hurt him to see them together, and it hurt him to see how Bakugo was the better choice.

Kirishima observed how tense he was getting, but didn't offer Shoto comfort to allow him to see the wrong in this. _Someone is going to get hurt…_

Momo remained silent as they continued walking. She thought about Todoroki's words and actions. It brought up old feelings. _He knew that I was going to move in with Bakugo. How come he didn't say anything? Does he really not care at all? How could I be so stupid, believing that someone like him would end up with…someone like me?_

It was hurting to think that Todoroki truly didn't want anything to do with her.

"Why?" she tried to whisper to herself, but it was loud enough to be heard. Tears started streaming from her eyes.

Bakugo only watched as the droplets ran down her cheeks. There was nothing he could say or do at this time to make her feel better. It was something she had to deal with on her own.

Once arriving at the apartment, Momo went straight into his room and closed the door. Bakugo placed her box on the table. He decided to give her some space, and began his home workout.

 _Bastard could've at least handled it better…_ he thought to himself as he got into the push-up position.

Yaoyorozu threw herself onto the bed and took out her cellphone.

"Hey Jiro," she sniffled, "Sorry I haven't called you in a while. Been going through a lot you know?"

Although she wanted to sound cheery, it was obvious that she was still crying as her voice cracked. Jiro hated to hear her like this.

"It's okay, Yao-Momo," Jiro comforted her, "Just talk to me."

* * *

When Bakugo finished his workout, he went straight into the shower. Once he was finished, he had to go into his room to get a change of clothes. Upon opening the door, he saw Momo asleep with the cell phone near her.

 _Cried herself to sleep._ He saw how puffy her eyes were as she slept soundly.

Bakugo took a good look at her. He never noticed how beautiful she was. Her fair skin glowed in the moonlight and everything about her face seemed to be perfectly symmetrical in his eyes. Her black hair was loose, glistening around her. It was tempting for him to join her in bed.

Bakugo shook his head out of it. He didn't want to disturb her in her sleep and carefully grabbed a pillow from his bed. His intention was to sleep on the couch. He was so focused on the pillows that he didn't see Momo's eyes open. She reached out to tug on his long sleeve.

She looked at him with begging eyes, tightening her grip, "Will you…sleep with me tonight, Bakugo?"


	11. Chapter 11: Blowing Off Steam

Chapter 11: Blowing Off Steam

What was he supposed to do? Say 'no'? Momo was already sleeping after Bakugo got into bed for a few minutes. She had her arms wrapped around him and her head was on his shoulder as he lay on his back. Bakugo couldn't get comfortable.

Momo has touched him multiple times, but this time it brought a chill down his spine. He didn't realize how soft her skin was or how her body felt so warm against his. He awkwardly lied there as she held him.

 _What the fuck am I supposed to do with my arms?...Maybe it'll be better if I was on my side._

He turned to his side carefully, trying not to wake her.

 _How do I even…?!_ Bakugo had to calm himself before he got more agitated.

"Shoto…" she mumbled in her sleep and tightened her arms around him, her face nuzzling into his chest. It was a strange feeling.

 _She's dreaming about him…_ He started to relax and placed an arm around her whilst the other laid under his head pillow. He pulled her body closer. _I really hate this couple bullshit._

* * *

The glare from the sunrise awakened Momo. She groggily rubbed her eyes and got out of bed, not noticing that Bakugo had her arms around her. She didn't want to disturb him.

After doing her usual morning routine, she proceeded to Bakugo's fridge. She looked for food she could cook for breakfast. Bakugo was running low on ingredients. He was too busy the past few days to go shopping for groceries.

 _I guess I'll go shopping then._

Momo didn't think anything of it when she stepped out of the apartment by herself.

The morning breeze felt cold against her skin. People were heading to work and students were heading to school. It was quite the busy morning. Lucky for her, she didn't have to go back to her agency for another two weeks. Although it was odd for her not to keep busy, it felt nice to have some 'down' time.

She walked to the grocery store as if everything was normal. Looked at the food labels like normal, placed items in the cart like normal, walked around like normal. It was all normal until things started to get abnormal.

The Creation Cult member materialized in front of her cart.

"And how do you do?" the male twin asked.

Momo was shaken but held her ground, watching his every move.

"What are you doing here?" she didn't want to cause a panic in public. It was wise of her to keep everything in control. Other people didn't think anything of it and continued to their business.

"Can't a man properly converse with a woman he's fond of?" he smiled while leaning on the cart.

She lightly shoved the cart to him.

"Oof!" he flinched, "You're quite the feisty one alright."

She grasped onto the handles tightly, "I'll ask you again: what-are-you-doing-here?"

He walked up next to her and placed his hand on her lower back, directing her forward, "Let's talk shall we?"

Yaoyorozu wanted to know their intentions, and a non-violent option was always the better choice. She had spikes come out from where he was touching. It pricked him.

"Yeowch! Feisty, feisty, feisty."

She walked ahead of him and continued to shop. He followed behind her.

"Let me begin by asking you if you believe in an all-powerful creator?"

"If you're trying to convert me, you're wasting your time," she stated blankly.

He brushed off her sarcasm, "We believe that those with creation quirks are descendants of our beloved creator."

"That' ridicu-"

"Don't insult us. You have been blessed with a gift. And, with that gift, you can bless those who are unfortunate."

It struck a chord in Momo, she listened more eagerly.

He saw that eagerness, "Our creator made it so that people like YOU could be our savior – no – our _hero._ "

"How am I saving people exactly?"

"You seem intrigued. Does this mean that you'll help us?"

 _A hero is someone who saves people._ "Give me more information."

The Creation Cult member smiled, "I'll be happy to."

* * *

"Yaoyorozu was it?" the male held out his hand, "My name is Renger."

They stood outside the supermarket, finished with her shopping duty. She eyed his hand, still doubtful of all this. Cautiously, she held out her hand. He grasped it and shook it firmly.

"I look forward to a favorable reply."

And just like that, he materialized out of sight, particles breaking up in the air.

On her walk home, she thought about the decision she had to make. One: save people and make a huge sacrifice. Two: have someone else do the job. Three: find another alternative. Option one seemed to be the best option of a 'true hero'. Although the Creation Cult was sketchy, they seemed to have good intentions.

She was halted mid-way by an angry male walking in her direction. He stomped furiously towards her, sparks going off in his hands. He was still in his sleeping clothes: a blank tank and comfortable jogging pants, but he didn't care how ridiculous he looked – people were more scared of him than anything.

"Seriously, Ponytail, what the fuck?!" he growled.

"Bakugo?" she was surprised to see him this angry, "I went shopping for –"

"I don't give a shit!" he grabbed the groceries from her and dragged her by the wrist.

"Bakugo, I-"

"Shut up!" he didn't even turn his head to her.

From there, they didn't say a word to each other as they continued to the apartment. Noticing how upset he was, she didn't want to make matters worse. She kept to herself. The silence bugged her.

It was a good hour until Momo finally decided to break the silence between them.

"I don't understand why you're so mad! I just went to get groceries!" she walked in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. He was laying on the couch, scrolling through his phone, "Am I supposed to make you follow me everywhere?! That's ridiculous!"

It didn't faze him. Bakugo continued looking through his phone.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she was starting to get frustrated.

He didn't so much as glare at her, which was what she expected from him at the least. To get his attention, she grabbed the phone from his hands.

Nothing. He just got up and walked to the balcony, roughly swiping a magazine from the table.

It was strange for her to see him like this – a calm angry. She ended up cooking breakfast. He ate at the couch and didn't complain how salty it was. She ate from the dining table, eyeing him. Taking a nap in the bedroom, he took a nap on the couch. Worked out in the living room, he exercised in the bedroom. When she tried to be near him, he went away. It seemed like he didn't want to be near her at all.

 _How long is he going to be like this?_ She looked up at the clock to see that it was already 7pm. She was growing impatient and fed up with this silliness. Turning to her phone, she messaged her friends.

Momo barged into the bedroom to find Bakugo in his towel. He just walked by her to proceed to the restroom.

"If you don't want to talk to me or be near me – fine! I'll just make it easier on you!" she crossed her arms, asserting her point.

It seemed to work as he stopped in his tracks. She gazed upon the ripples of his back. Momo wanted so badly to touch them, but she wanted more badly to win this battle.

"I'm going out with my friends. Don't expect me to be back anytime soon."

He stood still for a couple of minutes, then continued walking, slamming the door behind him.

 _He's being such a child!_ She screamed in her head and put on a change of clothes. A tight, red bodycon dress was her outfit for the night. The v-cut was low enough to reveal her cleavage, and it was cut off mid-thigh to show off her long legs. Her blacks stilettos complimented her dress.

Although she didn't say it out loud, she secretly wanted Bakugo to see her like this, forcing him to give in through pure seduction. While she was pretending to fix her lipstick in the living room, she heard the bathroom door open. By the time she turned around, Bakugo already shut himself in the bedroom.

This made her more angry.

 _See if I care!_ She slammed the door behind her as she left the apartment.

Mina wanted to go out to a local nightclub. She was already there with Ochako when Momo got there. Mina insisted they take a shot upon her arrival. She was a very persuasive woman.

"Midoriya is leaving on a business trip?" Momo asked. Little did she know that the trip was for the purpose of the Creation Cult infiltration.

"Is Todoroki going with – Ack!" Mina was interrupted by a sharp jab to her side.

"Another shot, Mina?" Ochako signaled her eyes over to Momo, then back to Mina's.

Momo slumped over the table depressingly. She was obviously still hung up over Todoroki, almost completely forgetting about Bakugo's tantrum.

Ochako took this chance to update Mina and whispered in her ear. It backfired.

"Eh? He rejected her?" Mina was so surprised she couldn't hold it in. Ochako placed a hand over her mouth, but the words have already been said.

Momo got more depressed and chugged down her mixed drink. She wiped her mouth, "I'll be okay! Don't worry about me."

"That's the spirit!" Mina cheered, signaling over the bartender.

Ochako eyed the way the two of them took down their drinks. She sighed, "I have a bad feeling about this."

 ** _A couple of drinks later…_**

"How about we go dance?" Ochako pulled Momo and Mina up before they called the overworked bartender.

"I loooovvee dancing," Mina said, drunkenly. Mina was an extraordinary dancer. She swayed her hips to the beat of the music and the rest of her body moved gracefully along with it.

Momo was amazed, "You're such a good dancer!"

"It's easy! Just let the music take you! Here!" she grabbed onto Momo's waist and swung it with hers. Men were quick to notice the two.

"Oh no," Ochako panicked as she saw two men approaching them.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Mina didn't bother to turn her head and continued dancing, showing no interest.

The guys were persistent, "Hey. So, how about you all take a break and join us for a few rounds."

"No thanks," Mina chuckled snobbishly, further expressing her lack of interest.

"Alright then, how about you, Red?" one of them glanced over to Momo in her skimpy dress. He was actually good looking, "I didn't hear a 'no' from you."

Momo blushed and had her hands in front of her, "Oh. I'm flattered but-"

She suddenly noticed a male wearing a black hoodie from across the room staring at her intensely. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. She recognized those raging red eyes anywhere.

"Please excuse me," Momo walked past the group of men.

She seemed upset as she stood in front of him, "What are you doing here?"

"Tch," he hissed and he cocked his head away from her, "Why don't you continue talking to your fuckboy over there?"

She tried to hide her smile, overjoyed that he finally spoke to her.

Ochako and Mina were staring curiously from across the club. They couldn't recognize Bakugo in the dim lighting.

"Who is she talking to?" Ochako squinted her eyes at them.

"Maybe it's a guy she's seeing," Mina sneered.

"Let's check it out!" Ochako started walking in their direction.

Momo noticed them coming closer. She didn't want anyone to know about them. Through impulse, she shoved her back against the wall and wrapped her arms around Bakugo's neck, pulling his head to her collarbone. His hands were on the wall to her sides.

"We can't let them see you," Momo whispered to him, "Just stay like this until they leave."

Ochako and Mina flinched in the distance.

"Holy!" Mina gasped. Ochako's eyes almost popped out.

Mina snapped a picture of the two while Ochako's was dazed.

"H-How?! Wha-Why?!" she was speechless.

"A woman has needs," Mina shrugged as she sent the picture to Jiro.

"Should we….Should we leave?" Ochako didn't know what to do, "I don't want to leave her!"

Mina dragged her away, "She just had her heart broken! Let her have her fun!"

"Okay, they're leaving," Momo whispered loudly to Bakugo. She allowed him to move. He lifted his head and his face was close to hers, lips nearly touching. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck.

Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but Bakugo was amazingly handsome – his ruggedness, the passionate red eyes, his striking blonde hair.

Her eyes averted to his lips and then back to his eyes – not wanting to break his gaze. Bakugo didn't say a word, and frankly, he didn't need to. He moved in closer and all-too-suddenly…

She kissed him.


	12. Chapter 12: Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 12: Eyes Wide Open

 _Why am I?..._

Her arms wrapped tighter around Bakugo's neck and she twisted her tongue into his mouth, enjoying every bit of him. Bakugo didn't deny her. He pulled her waist closer to his and accepted her sweet lips. They drowned out the blasting club music, the chattering crowd, the raving lights – just the two of them.

Bakugo pulled away briefly, but her eyes were yearning for him. He grabbed her wrist and showed off a promising smirk, "Let's get out of here, Ponytail."

On their way to the apartment, it was silent. They didn't dare to look at each other as they walked down the street. Momo knew that if she were to lay an eye on him, she wouldn't be able to hold herself back. She focused on the path ahead of her. Their bodies were anxious for each other, but they had to control themselves. With every passing minute, they felt hotter.

When they finally reached the apartment, Momo couldn't stand it any longer. She messily pressed her lips onto him after Bakugo opened the door.

He let out a muffled chuckle, amused by how quickly she gave in. He was pleased by this. Bakugo grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him tightly.

After kicking the front door behind him, Bakugo carried her into the bedroom. Her kisses hypnotized him, making him feel like he's been missing out all this time. They both slid into bed, kicking off their shoes and tossing their clothes to the floor. The anticipation was killing them.

His lips escaped hers to gaze upon her curvy figure; his massive figure hovering over her. Everything was still for that moment.

"What is it?" Momo asked sweetly. She extended her arms out to him, grasping the back of his neck. Her lips were eager indulge in his. His red pupils traveled up and down her body, sweat trickling from his skin. He wanted her so badly – so much more from before. He lowered himself to her.

"Are you ready?" he whispered softly, resting his forehead on hers, staring deeply into her eyes.

She was somewhat surprised by his question – it was the first time he considered her feelings. She didn't feel right to question it. Momo smiled at him and nodded, "Yes."

* * *

 ** _The next day…_**

 _What is it about her?_

 _Is it the way she laughs at every fucking little thing?_

 _Is it the way her hair falls to her cute face?_

 _Is it the way she panics when something little goes wrong?_

 _Is it the way her pretty eyes look at me?_

Ponytail walked out of the bedroom with nothing but my black shirt on. My fucking shirt. Now it's going to smell like her… _Why did that turn me on?_

She must've seen me staring, "Sorry I had to use you're shirt. My house clothes are in the dryer and I didn't want to make another shirt."

I brushed it off smoothly, "Yeah, whatever."

I watched her use both her hands to hold the tiny cup to her mouth. She lets out her usual sigh – the one she always makes after taking a sip of tea.

The newspaper covered my face. I pretended to read it when I was really trying to figure shit out.

Her eyes met mine. I lowered my head quickly. _Shit!_ _Did she notice?_

I look over to see if she's still looking at me. There's that dumb smile on her face. I felt my face getting hot. _Why am I fucking acting like this?!_

"Bakugo?" she called to me, giving me a tiny heart attack.

"What?" I can't show her my face, I must've looked like an idiot. _Why do I even care?_

My hands were gripping too tightly to the newspaper, crumpling the sides.

"Bakugo?" she called to me again, so gently. _Why does she have to sound like that?_

I placed the newspaper on the table to straighten out the edges. She had her face on her hand, gray googly eyes looking at me. I can't stand the sight of her. _What is it about her?!_

"I have a favor to ask," there's that god-forsaken smile again.

I take her empty teacup and wash it in the sink, anything to avoid looking at her damn smile. I respond normally, "What is it?"

"Let's have dinner somewhere."

I almost dropped the porcelain cup. _A fucking date?_ It was already getting harder to be around her.

Ever since that fucking day – that day she went off on her own, the day I panicked, the day she kissed me – it's been HELL.

I can't stop thinking about her and I don't fucking know why – that half and half bastard need to hurry up and do his fucking job.

I tell it to her straight, "I said I don't do that couple bullshit, Ponytail."

"I know, I know," her sigh sounded disappointed this time, "No couple stuff or romantic stuff."

"What's the problem with having dinner here?"

"C'mon Bakugo! We've had dinner out before!"

I almost forgot about that day. It was the day she mixed up our paperwork. But shit was different now.

"I said no," I wasn't going to give in. After placing the teacup in the dish rack, I grabbed the newspaper and actually read to see if there was anything about the Creation Cult in the news.

"We always eat dinner here," she sounded like a kid, all whiny and shit. Her stupid, sad eyes begged me. _Was she always this cute?_

I shook my head and hid myself behind the newspaper. _Go on a date with Ponytail? It would fucking kill me. What does she think of me? She couldn't possibly like me… Could she?_

 _(1) She thinks I'm protecting her until the Creation Cult comes around for me to kick their asses._

 _(2) She doesn't know that half and half is actually the one taking care of the cult for her sake._

 _So she thinks I'm doing this because…No, she couldn't possibly think that I-_

I slammed the newspaper on the table. She jumped at my sudden movement.

"Listen, Ponytail," I tried not to yell, "What's happening here – you and me – It's just purely fucking. Once the Creation Cunts come back and get their asses handed to them, you're going back to your place. Think whatever you want of me, but I'm not your fucking boyfriend. Not YOUR boyfriend who takes you out to some fancy-ass restaurant. So cut the crap and –"

Her muffled laughter interrupted me. When I paused, she bursted into laughter, throwing her head back and almost falling out of her chair.

It irritated me. I yelled, "What's so fucking funny?!"

It took her a couple of minutes for her to calm the hell down. I could literally feel the vein throbbing on my forehead.

"I'm so sorry…But, the idea of us together – as a couple," she placed a hand over her mouth, holding herself back from laughing again, "What I'm saying is: I didn't of us being anything more than what it is. Being in a relationship doesn't seem like…you."

She didn't have to point her dainty finger at me. I crossed my arms, somewhat annoyed by her words. _Well, she wasn't wrong,_ "You're damn right, Ponytail."

"Well since you're not taking me to dinner, we need to go get some groceries," she pushed herself out of her chair, "I'm going to get ready."

 _Doesn't seem like me huh?_

* * *

On the way to the supermarket, there were too many assholes staring at Ponytail as she walked by. I glared at them while she walked in front of me.

 _Where there always this many guys eye fucking her?!_

When we finally got to the supermarket, a group of punks wanted to take pictures with her. I almost blew up the cellphone when he asked me to take the picture. _Brave little shit._

I shoved the phone to his chest when Ponytail looked away. From the corner of my eye, I observed her as we walked to the vegetable area. _Was she always this popular?_

"Why're you so irritated today?" she asked, placing a bag of potatoes into the shopping cart.

Her obliviousness annoyed me, "Doesn't it bother you to have creeps staring at you in that way?"

"You're one to talk," she nodded her head in the direction of two giggling school girls.

I took one look at them, and they ran away squealing. _How annoying._

"Those are your fan girls."

"Fan girls?" None of them really caught my eye. If Ponytail hadn't pointed them out, I would've ignored them.

"I'm surprised you haven't notice. Most of them are really pretty."

I looked at Ponytail as she held a carrot in her hand. _Pretty? What did she know about pretty?_ Her onyx eyes, her little nose, her soft lips, her glowing white skin – she suddenly turned her head to me.

"Bakugo?" she caught me off guard.

 _Fuck. How long was I staring at her?_

"Your phone's been ringing," she pointed at the phone in my pocket and rolled her eyes, "Stop getting distracted by your fan girls."

I didn't realize my phone going off in my pocket and pulled it out to answer it. Ponytail took the cart from my hands, "I'm going to look for some dessert for tonight."

Her hand accidentally grazed mine when she took it from me. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, even after she left.

"Oi, Bakugo!" I heard Kirishima's voice from my phone. I placed it to my ear.

"Yeah?" I still felt hazy.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are gonna be leaving tomorrow."

It knocked some sense into me, "It's about fucking time."

Kirishima has been calling me time to time, updating me about their plan, "We should be finished by tomorrow afternoon. Right now, we are just waiting for Deku and Jiro to arrive."

"Half-and-half's plan better work or I'm going to be the one to beat the crap out of him."

"Don't worry, bro. If – I mean WHEN we succeed, we should be finished by tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Yup! And after this, Yao-Momo would be off your hands. Now let me break down the action plan!"

I felt a twisting knot in my gut. _That's right. This could be my last night with Ponytail. After this is all over, half-and-half would spill the beans, be the true hero, and Ponytail would run back into his stupid, fucking, icy-hot, skinny arms."_

"…And that's when I jump in!" Kirishima has been talking all this time and I wasn't paying attention for shit. It must've been pretty long because Ponytail was already back with a big smile on her face.

"I gotta go," I told Kirishima and immediately hung up.

Ponytail picked up a tub of ice cream to my face, "Since you're not taking me to dinner, guess what I'm going to eat all by mys-"

"Where did you plan to go to dinner tonight?" the words just came out of my mouth. _What am I thinking?_

I caught her off guard, the tub of ice cream dropped from her hands into the cart.

She was suddenly in my face, eyes all sparkly, "Wha-What made you change your mind?"

"Where?!" I repeated more loudly, not wanting to explain myself.

Her smile – her fucking smile spread across her face, "Thank you, Bakugo."

 _…_ _What is it about her?_

* * *

"He hung up," Kirishima whined and slouched his shoulders forward. I didn't understand why Kirishima was so emotional about Bakugo.

"Now's not the time to be filled with sorrow, Kirishima," I had to re-focus his attention to the mission. I wanted to do one more check before we head out tomorrow. Everything must be executed perfectly. Midoriya already calculated several possible outcomes for this mission to be successful.

We identified a total of 11 members in the cult. They worked in groups of three: a total of three groups, two being the leaders. The other two groups have been newly assigned to another area. The six people the cult kidnapped are still missing.

Momo's cult group: the twins and the striped head, will be having a meeting with the leaders. It will be the perfect time to perform a preemptive strike as the three cult members waited for the leaders to arrive.

"Yeah, you're right. I just can't help but be a little worried, ya know?" Kirishima scratched his head with an innocent look on his face.

"We will win this fight, Kirishima," I assured him.

"Is that so?" an eerie giggle echoed in the conference room. Kirishima and I immediately put our defenses up. I recognized that voice.

We turned out backs to see the female twin, known as Ava, and the striped one sitting comfortably on the conference table.

"How?!" Kirishima clenched his hardened fists.

The striped one laughed mockingly and pointed at his right eye. It glowed, "You can't hide from me. I see all."

"His quirk allows him to see whoever he wants, whenever he wants," Ava sounded so confident that she didn't care about oversharing information. Both of them had a variety of guns strapped to their bodies. They were ready to take us on, and out of the two, Ava seemed to be the more violent and reckless one. I had to act quickly.

She stood up and walked towards us. I bared a flame on my left hand and Kirishima stood beside me, ready to fight.

This excited her, "You see, all this time you thought you had the edge – sending that earphone girl over to our HQ. Little did you know: we already foresaw your plan. You were being played this whole time."

"Shall we get to it sister?" the striped male was getting impatient, pulling out a katana from his side.

"Of course," she grinned.


	13. Chapter 13: Slipped

Chapter 13: Slipped

 _What is taking her so fucking long?_

I still don't know why I agreed to this dinner in the first place. My body jittered on the couch as I waited in the living room. My foot was tapping on the floor and my fingers drummed uncontrollably. My mind was everywhere. _That's it. I'm going to cancel…_

When I stood up, Ponytail closed the bedroom door behind her, "Sorry I took so long."

"It's about goddamn time-"

I choked once laying my eyes on her. There were no words. Her red strapless dress outlined her body perfectly. Ponytail didn't need any make-up, but whatever she had on made her even more beautiful. The silver necklace around her neck was just as bright as her gorgeous eyes. But the best accessory she had on…her goddamn smile.

My body felt hot and my chest was going to explode. _When did it get so damn hot in here?!_

She giggled with an annoying tune in her voice, "Wow, aren't you dressed up?"

All I wore was a white button-up and black pants. It was nothing compared to Ponytail's get-up.

"Shall we?" she slipped her hand to my arm, making me flinch from her touch.

I took a heavy gulp and walked out of the apartment, her hand still on my arm. _This is not a fucking date. This is not a fucking date. This is not a fucking date._

I had to keep reminding myself, but it didn't work for shit. On our way to the restaurant, I couldn't think about anything to say to her. _I don't need to say anything. Why do I need to? Fuck all this…_

The restaurant Ponytail chose wasn't too far from my place. I've never eaten there myself; it was mostly for snooty rich bastards, but this was what she wanted. When we walked in, the staff knew Ponytail all too well. They greeted her all-too politely and threw me judging expressions. I growled at their annoying, snooty-ass attitudes. Ponytail pulled me away from them, not caring what they thought about us.

It was an outdoor eatery and table they chose for us was ridiculously corny: white linen table cloth, Christmas-looking lights hung above us, candles as a centerpiece, fancy-ass napkins, some band performed jazz music…Just so fucking corny.

We took our seats. Ponytail brushed the stray hairs away from her face and placed it behind her ear. I swallowed. The lighting in this place was…impressive.

"Sorry, I know you don't like this romantic stuff, but the staff insisted," she apologized to me in her polite tone, "But it's quite beautiful…Don't you think?"

 _I guess this place wasn't so bad._

"Tch," I scoffed and picked up the menu. She didn't need to know what I thought of this place, "Anything for the spoiled, rich girl."

I tried not to make it obvious that I was shaking as I read the menu. Everything was all normal. _So why did everything feel so fucking different? Fucking weak! WEAK!_

"Hey Bakugo," her voice always triggered something in me. I peeked above the menu to meet her face. This place was nice and all, but everything with this woman in the middle of it…Just fucking perfect.

… _Shit._

"I want to thank you for everything," she said to me, sweet-like.

Her words made me feel warm for some reason. It was hard to explain. _After this is all over, Todoroki better take care of her…_

The thought of them together suddenly sparked in my head. It made me angry. I gritted my teeth and buried the thought in the back of my head.

"Don't worry about it," I grumbled to her.

My response made her smile widen, and it put me at ease. Her soft fingers slid over the table to hold mine. They were nice.

She spoke so softly, "I mean it, Bakugo…Thank you."

I don't know how long we've stayed like this, but it could've lasted forever. I just wanted to kiss her. She broke from my gaze and slipped back in her seat.

"Let's have fun tonight," Ponytail's face beamed at me before picking up the menu.

I don't know what it was, but I wasn't so nervous anymore.

We placed our orders, drank some wine, and chatted. She was her usual, talkative self and I said what I needed to say. We talked about politics, other places, and even stupid things like Deku. I hate to admit it, but I was having…fun?

Her hands felt her cheeks and she laughed to herself, "All this wine is making my cheeks warm."

I couldn't keep my eyes off of her, "Yeah…the wine."

There was something about this girl. I still don't know what it was, but having her at my side made all the rage simmer down. Ponytail was the perfect woman. Todoroki didn't deserve her. The sound of the chair squeaking broke my thoughts.

"I'm going to wash my face. Don't go anywhere," she teased, leaving her seat. She took a couple of footsteps, then paused to tilt her head towards me, "I'm having a lot of fun with you, Bakugo. I'm glad we did this."

"Yeah…me too," I admitted, then took a sip of my wine. She gave one last cute smile, and went on her way. A hot flush fluttered through my entire body.

Finally realizing how stupid I must've looked oogling at her, I gave myself a good slap on the forehead. _What am I thinking? I knew this was a fucking bad idea! What the fuck is going on with my body?_

My face felt hot. My palms were sweaty. My mouth was dry. I felt restless. My face buried into my hands in frustration.

"Caught feelings have you?"

I know that fucking voice. Acting quickly, I threw out my hand and attempted to blow his face up. He materialized through my explosion and held my wrist.

"That's not very friendly of you – attacking the person who's about to take your girlfriend hostage," the twin asshole spoke.

A fire set off in me. _Todoroki and the others were supposed to launch their attack tomorrow. The cult acted quicker than we expected. Shit!_

 _Ponytail!_ I snapped my wrist away from him and ran in the direction Ponytail went off to. The bastard appeared in front of me. The sparks went off in my hands, "Don't you fucking touch her!"

"We'll take care of her, Splodey boy. Don't you-"

My fist moved fast enough to land a good jab to his face. He stumbled back and held the place where I punched him. I pushed him aside and looked wherever I could.

"Ponytail!" I yelled for her all over the restaurant. There was no response. _They fucking got her…_ "Momo…"

I was in panic: muscles contracting, fists clenching, body trembling. The fire was bursting in me. _They fucking got her!_

The shithead laughed behind me. I cocked my head in his direction. Red droplets of blood trickled down his nose – too little blood for my taste. I wanted to blow this fucker to pieces.

"Give her back!" I demanded, tensing up to release an all-out explosion on him, "Give her back _now_!"

Just when I was about to ram into him, the ground trembled. Suddenly, a mountain of ice shot up towards the sky in the distance. There was only one person I could think of:

"Half and half bastard," Todoroki must've been fighting his own battles.

"You should check on that," the dipshit said in a mocking tone. Before I could grab onto him, he disappeared from sight.

 _Fuck!_ I still needed some answers. I looked in the direction of Todoroki's ice mountain and ran. My feet kicked hard against the pavement. I had to get there as fast as I could; I didn't care how rapid my heart was racing – all I cared about was getting her back.

* * *

"Get yourself together, Todoroki!" Kirishima yelled over to me. The striped Creation Cult member was wildly shooting bullets at him. His quirk kept them well protected against them.

I was also on the defense. My walls of ice were useless against Ava, the female twin cult member, as she was able to phase through it. When she didn't phase, she was quick enough to dodge. The ice was only able to shield me from her bullets.

"Aww what's wrong, fuck boy? Scared we're going to catch your girlfriend? Scared we're going to cut her to pieces? Oh, when I get to her, I'm going to cut off the head that's holding that pretty little ponytail," I couldn't see her; I only heard her voice echoing in the room.

Although I was well aware of Bakugo's capabilities, there was still an uncertainty in me. Regardless, I couldn't let their confidence overpower my thoughts.

"Midoriya and Jiro will be here soon! We need to hold them off and keep them here!" I said to Kirishima. This was our best plan right now. _It would be near impossible to capture Ava because of her phasing quirk. The striped one on the other hand…_

"Gotcha!" Ava appeared in front of me from below and pulled up her gun. If she hadn't yelled that out, I wouldn't have blocked it in time with a thick ice wall and jumped back. The bullet only grazed my shoulder. _I need to stay focused._

I threw my arm forward and released my flames in her direction. She easily phased through it and jumped to the side, pointing the gun in my direction again. I predicted this and grabbed onto her throat, freezing her in place. _It should hold her for a while._

I looked over to Kirishima to offer him assistance. My foot was ready to freeze the other Creation Cult member, but I was halted by a familiar face that appeared out of nowhere.

"Momo," there she was, right in front of my eyes. The moment was the least appropriate, but she looked beautiful as ever. My heart ached for her.

The male twin came over and held her by the arm. He stretched out his hand towards us, "See, sweetheart, your friends are still alive."

 _Why isn't she fighting back? Are they holding something against her?_

Yaoyorozu's eyes were filled with worry once she looked at me. Her eyes flickered to the blood on my shoulder then turned to the man beside her, "You promised you wouldn't hurt them."

"Hey, hey – they were going to launch a surprise attack on us first. It's only fair," the male explained, sharing our original plan.

Her eyes widened from shock and immediately cocked her head to me, "Shoto…you knew about the Creation Cult?"

I didn't know what to say.

"Did I forget to tell you that? Yeah, Scarface knew upon attempting to kidnap you the first tiem. All his plan actually, including bodyguard duty with Splodey Boy," he explained further. _Damn it…_

Her brows furrowed. A mixture of betrayal and shock was on her face. That look made me feel somewhat guilty. I averted my eyes away in embarrassment. _It was all for you_ , is what I wanted to say to her. _It was to protect you._

But this wasn't the time. I still didn't fully comprehend what was going on. I had to focus on more important matters – save Momo and take down the cult.

I spoke, "Whatever promise you made with them, Yaoyorozu, it won't-"

"Stay out of this, Shoto," she interrupted me bluntly. It was typical of her to worry about everyone but herself. She started walking towards me, her heels clattering against the floor. None of the other Creation Cult members moved from their spot, but I stayed on guard. _When she's close enough, I'll take her back._

"You can't go with them, Yaoyorozu," I needed to convince her. Momo is a genius, but whatever she's planning – she couldn't possibly do it alone.

She stopped inches away from me. It was close enough to smell her sweet perfume. It's been quite a while since I've seen her face. Up close, I don't remember it being this breathtaking. She placed her hand on my check, her thumb brushing against it so softly, losing myself in her gaze.

"Trust me," she whispered.

* * *

I ran as fast as my body could take me. I went past my body limit, but none of that shit mattered. I needed to get to Ponytail. I needed to save her.

When I finally arrived at the agency, I blasted my way through the walls, the ice, any obstacle that was in my way. I heard a commotion from the conference room and slammed my way through the doors.

Kirishima, the stripy bastard, the twin bitch, the twin bastard – there she was. Todoroki was right in front of her. I didn't know what the fuck was going on, but I had to get her. Once he noticed me, Disappearing Dickhead laid a hand on her shoulder. _Fuck!_

I blasted myself forward and reached my arm to her, hoping to get her in my grasp. My body roughly dragged across the floor – empty handed. I stared at my hands, chest swelling with anger. _She was right there._ I clenched the empty air between my palms. _Right fucking there._ My fists slammed onto the floor, I screamed, "Damn it all!"

 _That half and half piece of shit…_ The rage in my eyes directed towards Todoroki. He could've saved her, but he didn't. This pro-fucking-hero didn't do a damn thing. The woman he was, supposedly, in love with.

With all my strength, I lifted the bastard up by the collar, his feet dangled above the ground. He didn't try to fucking stop me and I would like to see him try. He knew what he did.

"She was right in front of you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Why didn't you fucking save her?!"

He didn't have the balls to look me in the eyes. Nothing to say, but it made me feel worse. In blind rage, I hammered my fists on him to the ground. Red stains splattered everywhere, fury burning in my chest, my fists hit wherever it could on his worthless body.

It wasn't enough to mask the pain that throbbed in my chest.

They took Momo.


	14. Chapter 14:Reaching Out

Chapter 14: "Reaching Out"

"How long has he been out for?" Kaminari asked as he observed Bakugou lying unconscious on the office couch.

"Just a few minutes," Kirishima answered, "It's good that you got here when you did, Midoriya. I wouldn't have thought of knocking him out. Imagine what Todoroki could've looked like."

"Yeah. I couldn't think of a quicker option. There's no use talking to him when he's like that," Midoriya carefully lifted Todoroki. His face was badly bruised and bloodied from Bakugou's punches, "Kacchan really did a number on him. He's totally blacked out."

Kirishima walked over to him to lend a hand, "I'll take him to the hospital."

"No, I'll take him. I don't want to be here when Kacchan wakes up and realizes that it was my idea to knock him out," Midoriya half-joked as he slumped Todoroki over his back, "In the mean time, Earphone Jack and Ochako should be here soon. Once I drop Todoroki to the hospital, I'll come back. We can come up with a plan to rescue Yaoyorozu then."

Kirishima and Kaminari nodded in agreement.

"I'll call Jirou and find out her ETA," Kaminari took out his phone and stepped outside. Midoriya went on his way to the hospital.

Kirishima took a seat across Bakugou and watched him as he twitched in his sleep.

"Momo…" he groaned softly. Kirishima could hear Bakugou's teeth grinding.

He let out a heavy sigh. _Bakugou must really…_

Kirishima lightly chuckled and shook his head. _He fell in so deep…_

After seeing Bakugou's actions, it was clear to Kirishima how he felt about Momo Yaoyorozu. He felt somewhat guilty that it went this far. He felt that he didn't try hard enough to avoid all of this.

"Sorry, bro" Kirishima half-heartedly smiled and nudged his arm.

"Momo!" Bakugou yelled out of his sleep and immediately shot up with heavy breaths, "Where is she?!"

Kirishima almost fell out of chair in surprise. Bakugou jumped to his feet in a panic. Kirishima got up and tried to calm him down, "Bakugou!"

"Momo! Where the fuck is Momo?!" his eyes scattered all over the place. He wasn't thinking straight as his adrenaline spiked up. All he wanted to do was blow everything up like the hole that was blown up inside of him.

Kirishima held him down on his shoulders. He's never seen him like this before, "You need to calm down first, Bakugou."

"No! I'm going to get those shitheads!" Bakugou threw his hands off of him.

Kirishima stood in front of his path, "We need to come up with a plan first. We'll wait until Midoriya gets back. Just be patient, Bakugou!"

"Get out of my fucking way, Kirishima! Who knows what they're gonna do to her!" Bakugou pushed him aside. Although he had a tough exterior, the worry in his voice was evident.

Kirishima grabbed him by the arm to hold back the raging blonde, "Listen to me, Bakugou! You ne-"

"Shut up!" he pulled his arm back and continued walking forward. His feelings were getting the better of him.

 _Midorya was right. There's not point in talking to him like this._ Kirishima ran in front of him and **_CRACK!_** He landed a solid jab on Bakugou's face. It was enough to knock him on his back.

Bakugou sat up and touched his cheek, dumbfounded. The friendly redhead wasn't the type to hit his friends. Bakugou clenched his fists, "What the fuck do you-"

"Will you just shut up and listen to me?!" Kirishima yelled over him, "You're not gonna save her!"

This sparked him. It made him angrier. He could feel himself getting hotter. Bakugou was about to charge him to the ground and knock the sense back to him.

"I know how you feel about her, Bakugou!" Kirishima yelled even louder.

Bakugou flinched. He snapped out of his anger flushed, "What the fuck are you-"

"I know you have feelings about her," Kirishima said more calmly. Bakugou put down his fists. Kirishima placed his hands on his shoulders and clenched onto them tightly, " _We're_ gonna get her back, but we don't know where she's at and you can't just go out there on your own."

Bakugo looked down, but this just made Kirishima shake him up. He barred his sharp teeth with his dorky smile. It made Bakugou feel better for some reason, "Yao-Momo is strong, intelligent – She would give those guys a hard time for sure! Plus, if you go, there's no telling what will happen to you…And I know you wouldn't want us to go out and rescue you a second time. We got you, didn't we? So don't worry! We got your back, bro!"

The tenseness in his shoulders started to ease up. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, Kirishima was right. They had no leads, no information – nothing. But this didn't matter to him. He was going to find her no matter what.

He shook himself off of Kirishima's grip. Bakugou just gave his typical 'Tch' and sat back on the couch, slouching forward.

That was all Kirishima needed to hear to know that Bakugou was back to himself. He let out another heavy sigh and returned to his seat.

* * *

"Momo!" Todoroki barged into the Creation Cult's hideout. His voice only echoed eerily in the dimly lit room. There was no one in sight. When he took a step forward, he heard something clatter. Bones of the deceased were hauntingly aligned on the floor. The eyes of the skulls seemed to stalk Todoroki as he walked forward.

"Shouto!" her voice rang in his ears.

"Momo?!" he acted hastily and ran in the direction of her voice. His legs suddenly felt heavy. He looked down to find the skeletons grabbing at him. They climbed over him and drowned him in the sea of bones.

"Shouto!" she yelled again. He surrounded himself in fire and broke free of their grasps. He burned his way through. Nothing was going to stop him from reaching her. Once his fire cleared up, Momo stood in front of him in good health, smiling.

Todoroki couldn't believe his eyes. He immediately took her in his arms and held on tightly.

"Shouto…" she whispered.

He felt so relieved that he got her back into his arms, "It's okay, Momo. I'm here now."

Momo shook and told him weakly, "You're too late…"

Todoroki was confused he looked at her to find some answers.

He felt her slip through his fingers as her body parts separated itself into slices. He panicked and tried to grab at the pieces, but they melted in his hands. Piece by piece, nothing stayed in his hands. _What is happening?_

His fingers trembled; her blood stained his skin. _This can't be happening!_

All that was left was Todoroki and a pool of blood. His whole body shook and his sight was blurring. Nothing was processing. _Momo…_

When Todoroki was awakened, he sat up in a cold sweat, shaking. He ran his fingers through his hair, reassuring himself that he's awake. _It was just a nightmare…_

Midoriya had jumped away from him out of shock, "T-T-Todoroki, you're awake."

"Midoriya," Todoroki looked around. The scenery seemed out of context. He was surprised to be on the roof of a building. Todoroki refocused his attention to Midoriya, "What happened?"

"I was going to take you to the hospital, but you were bleeding too much, so I decided to do a quick patch-up here," Midoriya kneeled next to him, "You were out cold for a while."

"Hospi- Oh…That's right," he touched his swollen face. It all came back to him. The Creation Cult, Bakugou's outrage, Momo getting kidnapped. This was the second time Momo slipped through his fingers. _Damn it all…_

"Don't worry, Todoroki" Midoriya snapped him out of his thoughts. His feelings must've been visible, "We'll get her back."

Todoroki nodded and looked at his hands. He imagined his nightmare – the blood-stained skin. This wasn't the time to sulk. He got his priorities straight. He won't let her slip through his fingers. _Not again._

Midoriya reached out to him to help him up, "But let's get you to the hospital fir-"

"There's no time for that, Midoriya," Todoroki hastily responded, getting on his feet.

"But you're in-"

"I'm fine," the injuries on his face didn't hurt as much as the pain in his heart, "We have to find Momo."

Todoroki's feelings were too strong for him to be talked out of it: Midoriya knew this. Although the odds were against them, he admired Todoroki for staying positive.

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

* * *

 _Shouto did this all for me._ Momo gazed out the car window, lost in thought. All the painful emotions that she once felt for him were brought under a new light. It all made sense. The way he treated her – pushing her away. _And for Bakugou to agree to all of this…"_

Momo slumped back in her seat and sighed. She didn't know what to think, or what to feel.

"You alright there, sweetie?" the male twin, Ranger spoke, trying to be comforting. He sat next to her in the car. Momo and the other Creation Cult members were on a car heading to the real headquarters. She was going to be introduced to the cult members. Although she wasn't completely sure of the cult's intentions, she had to try her best to make it seem like she trusted them.

"We're almost there. You'll understand soon enough," Ranger assured.

Ranger's twin, Ava, was staring at Yaoyorozu from the front seat. She tapped on her chin and studied her face. This was the one Momo was most cautious of. How could she forget the face of the person who held a knife to her throat and almost shot the person she cared for. If anyone was going to spoil the plan, it would be her.

"I don't like her…" Ava groaned.

The striped head member, Gill, kept his eyes on the road, "Dear sister, do you ever consider the words that come out of that pretty little mouth of yours?"

It was clear that she was going to say something, but she bit her lip. She turned her head to look forward and buried herself in her seat. Ava seemed to fear her brothers, despite her aggressive attitude.

The rest of the ride was quiet. Her feelings were a mess, but she had to concentrate on the situation at hand. She used this time to think about her plan, considering the possible problems and solutions.

"Well, we're here," Ranger finally spoke, breaking the silence.

They stopped in front of an abandoned meat factory. Momo used this opportunity to take her first plan to action. When everyone stepped out of the car, she subtly pressed a button on her uniform belt.

Before she and the Creation Cult left Todoroki's hero agency, Momo stroked Todoroki's face to divert attention away from her other hand that planted the tracker in his jacket. It was the tracker similar to what they used to save Bakugou. Pressing the button on her belt sent her current location to the tracker.

Ranger opened the door for her and placed his hand on her back as he directed them to the cult's leaders.

In the front of the headquarters stood a sophisticated-looking woman in a business suit. She was pushing a wheelchair that had an elderly man connected to some sort of machinery. He was dressed casually with a blanket placed over his lap. The elder man smiled sincerely through his white beard and waved.

"Welcome to the cult, Yaoyorozu Momo" the old man coughed.


	15. Chapter 15: A Pain Like No Other

Chapter 15: A Pain Like No Other

"Yaoyorozu, Momo, it's a pleasure to meet you," the old man happily greeted her, extending his arm, "My name is Mr. Chance Whitaker."

She shook his hand and politely smiled, "Thank you for having me."

The well-dressed assistant eyed her from toe to head. Momo noticed her staring and gave her usual polite smile. The female only scoffed. Momo didn't have to talk to her to see that she wasn't fond of her.

"Please don't mind Evelyn. She's actually quite shy," Mr. Whitaker explained, "Now, that we've gotten through the formal introductions, please come inside. I would like to discuss your quirk and your duty here."

Evelyn wheeled him towards the headquarters. The others followed behind him. Gill looked back, expecting her to go in front of him. Yaoyorozu went down to the ground make it look like she was fixing something on the heel of her boot.

"You can go on ahead. I think there's something in my shoe," she fiddled with her boot, while her free hand created a small device from her thigh.

Gill eyed her carefully, but didn't notice anything suspicious, "Can't leave behind an honored guest."

She placed the device in the ground and blocked his view of it as she got up. Momo chuckled as she walked in front of him, "Still don't trust me, huh?"

He followed her from behind, "You are a smart one. Can't be too careful."

When Momo went inside, Mr. Whitaker and the group showed her around. He introduced her to the machines that were connected to two chairs. The chairs looked frightening – like an electric chair. It sent a shiver up Momo's spine.

"These machines will connect to your creation quirk," Mr. Whitaker's smile made her more uneasy, "This is what we will use to do god's work."

"God's work?" Momo asked curiously.

"Right. We will create everything we need to help those less fortunate."

"If that's the case, why are there reports of people committing suicide, kidnappings –"

Mr. Whitaker laughed, attempting to drown our her concerns, "That's the side-effect of these things. It's quite unfortunate. We try our best to avoid it. Those with a feeble mind do not last long. However, with a cranium like yours, that will be unlikely."

"And the kidnappings?"

"I know our methods might seem primitive to you, but we do what we have to do. I assure you that they eventually come to see eye to eye with us. We don't believe in eliminating those who have been blessed with the Creator's gift. "

Momo crossed her arms to put her point across, "I'm not quite convinced."

Evelyn sighed impatiently and pulled the blanket from Mr. Whitaker's lap. It revealed his mechanical legs.

"Without the creation cult, he wouldn't be alive," Evelyn said sternly, "You think this world cares about you? Must be easy for a rich girl. But reality is a bitch. If you don't have money, you don't have anything."

Mr. Whitaker motioned her over and Evelyn placed the blanket on his lap, "I'm sure you see our point now, dear Momo."

Yaoyorozu seemed to understand, "So you use people with Creation quirks to avoid getting into politics."

"We are not as horrid as the media claims us to be. The worse we do is avoid the taxes and economic fraud. You may even ask our other volunteer. She's been with us for a while."

There was still something in Momo's gut telling her not to trust the Creation Cult. She knew what it was; she just didn't have all the details.

"Do you mind if I look around, Mr. Whitaker?" Momo asked.

Mr. Whitaker shook his head in approval, "Anything that will convince you, sweetheart."

* * *

"She placed another marker on something," Midoriya explained, pointing at the screen that was connected to Yaoyorozu's tracker.

"I still can't believe you didn't notice Yao-Momo sneak the tracker into your jacket," Kirishima smiled over at Todoroki.

"I was…distracted," Todoroki coughed and turned in the opposite direction. Unfortunately for him, it was the direction of Bakugou.

"Still not a fucking excuse. Own up to your mistakes or I'll make your face look worse than it already is," Bakugou held up his fist to him.

"Bakugou, just calm down," Kaminari told him then turned his direction back to the screen, "She placed a small explosive mine in the front of the building. I wonder if she already has something planned."

"And why the fuck aren't we there?" Bakugou yelled, "We're wasting time!"

"It seems like Yao-Momo is unharmed right now," Midoriya answered, "Just to be safe, we'll wait for Jirou and Ochako to get here. They will give us the advantage against them and increase our chances."

"Chances? This is not a game, Deku! Momo's life is on the line."

Everyone shot their eyes at Bakugou, surprised that he called her by her first name.

Bakugou didn't care. He spoke even louder, "I'm not going to wait around here! That's bullshit!"

"Oi, Bakugou! You remember what I told you?!" Kirishima reminded him.

Bakugou bit his tongue. He felt that every minute was being wasted. It was no use talking to them.

"Bakugou! Where are you going?!" Kirishima questioned him as he watched him walk towards the exit door.

"Outside dammit!" he yelled, slamming the door behind him. He felt like he needed some air – he was too riled up. He took a seat on a bench and placed his head on his hands.

 _Those nerds don't know a damn thing. Something could happen to her at any moment._ No matter what anyone said, all he cared about was getting Momo back. It didn't matter what it took; just to have her presence near him was all he craved for.

Katsuki flinched upon feeling a hand touch his shoulder. It shook him out of his thoughts.

"Did you want me to beat the shit out of you again, half-and-"

"I wouldn't ask you for help if I didn't need it," Todoroki said plainly, "They are taking too long, and I know I can't do this alone."

Bakugou shook his hand off his shoulder, "You think you're worthy, hotshot?"

"I know my mistakes now and I intend to fix them," Todoroki answered, "But this isn't about me. I will do anything to save her."

Bakugou side-eyed him. Getting Momo back meant that he would lose her again; Lose her to Todoroki. _Doesn't fucking matter to me if she wants to be with this bastard._

"Will you help me?" Todoroki asked in his serious tone, refocusing Bakugou's attention. He pulled out the tracker, half-smiling.

Bakugou smirked, "Now you're fucking talking, Todoroki."

* * *

Momo checked out everything in the Creation Cult's hideout. She even went as far interviewing the other volunteer. To her surprise, nothing struck her as skeptical. For cautious measures, she studied the machines and placed markers on its weak spots when they weren't looking.

Mr. Whitaker directed her to the sleeping quarters as it was already getting late. She knew that she was a key character in this operation, so no harm would be done to her. It was better if she rested.

Later in the night, Momo was awakened by a ringing cellphone.

When she got up, she noticed that the other volunteer wasn't in her bed. The door to the sleeping quarters was left open and she was able to hear people talking in the distance. Curious, she stuck her head out to see who was conversing.

"She's a smart one. You sure she doesn't suspect anything?" Mr. Whitaker asked Gill.

Gill, Evelyn, and Mr. Whitaker were outside, including the volunteer who sat up, blankly, in a wheelchair. Evelyn kneeled in front of the volunteer, staring intensely into her eyes.

Gill answered, "She really did try, but even at her best, she didn't consider Evelyn's quirk.

Mr. Whitaker smiled with content, "Quite a quirk isn't it? To be able to hypnotize –"

"I wouldn't call it hypnosis if it's just making people see flashing images."

Evelyn punched his leg without so much as turning her head, "It _is_ hypnosis if you do it right."

"And what is she seeing today, sweetheart?" Mr. Whitaker asked, petting her head.

"Sweet loads of cash," Evelyn smugly grinned.

 _With the use of her quirk, they make the volunteers believe that they are seeing something else in reality…_

Ava walked out of a room, pushing a Gatling gun. She peeked out from behind the cold machine, "Where would you like me to put this, sir?"

Momo gasped. _Weapons? For what?_

Mr. Whitaker pointed the way for her, "In the next room."

"Hurry up and get out of the way, Gill. The Creati girl might wake up and see this," Ava whispered loudly.

"Ranger should be watching her, don't worry."

 _Ranger?_

"Oh, well. This was a big waste," Ranger sighed, standing above Momo with his arms crossed. She was too preoccupied with the conversation to notice him approaching her from behind.

 _Shoots! I guess I'll have to start the plan early then._ Momo created rubber gloves. Ranger tried to reach for her, but she made an electric rod shoot out of her chest.

Before he could materialize from her grasp, Momo held on tight to the rod and activated its electricity. The voltage was strong enough to put him out.

 _Here we go, Momo._

Ava heard the commotion, "What the hell was that?"

Gill used his quirk to find out Momo and Ranger's whereabouts.

"Ranger's down!" he yelled out to the other members. By the time he zoned into Momo, she shot out an electric net at Ava and activated it. Ava screamed and pulsated until she too, was out cold.

Momo threw her net gun aside and looked at her opponents. _That's two. Alright, I just can't look into Evelyn's eyes and I should be-_

Evelyn moved quickly and stood behind the Gatling gun. A bullet proof shield crawled out of Momo's skin. She used it as cover when Evelyn fired rounds at her.

Mr. Whitaker scolded Evelyn, "Keep her alive! We need her!"

Evelyn ignored him and fired carelessly. Yaoyorozu acted quickly. She charged towards the Gatling gun, holding the shield. After knocking it down, she didn't wait for Evelyn and Gill to come at her. She pulled out a staff from her body – the weapon of choice.

Avoiding Evelyn's eyes, Momo knocked her off her feet. Then, she spun hastily to give a solid, hard blow to Gill's stomach. When he cowered down to hold his stomach, she knocked him on the back of his head. He fell to the ground with a loud, immobile.

"Not too bad for a rich girl," Evelyn mocked her as she got on her feet. That was a mistake.

Without looking back, Momo launched the staff to Evelyn's face. Out of instinct, Evelyn was able to dodge. As her attention was centered on the staff, Momo made a sling and threw it to Evelyn's body. Once falling to the ground, Momo made sure that she was secured tightly.

"If you stayed quiet, you might have been able to take me out," she smiled, walking over to her staff on the ground.

Yaoyorozu ignored her curse words and writhing. In a flashy motion, she picked up her staff and focused her guard on Mr. Whitaker. Once she knew all their quirks, it was easy for Momo to construct a plan so swiftly.

"And that makes four," Momo continued to stay alert, "It would be best for you to give up now, Mr. Whitaker. But before you do, I need to know…why?"

"It's common sense, sweetheart. Why do you think more and more people are born with quirks?"

"Evolution," Momo answered.

"Correct. People without quirks are the lesser, the weak, useless; merely mistakes. They have absolutely no purpose in this world."

"That's ridiculous!" Momo shook her head, "Who's to say that people who are quirkless –"

"Silence!" his strong voice echoed, "I will not be ridiculed. The Creation Cult seeks to fix what god couldn't do. It seeks to rid of the Creator's mistake."

Momo tightly grasped to her staff with irritation, "Everything born into this world has a purpose! You have no right to do so!"

"I _will_ cleanse this world. I _will_ start the war. This _will_ be my perfect world!"

She was shocked to see him standing fiercely on his mechanical legs. That was the last thing she saw after feeling a sharp pain in her stomach. The ringing in her ears muffled out once her vision blackened and was no longer conscious.

* * *

"This is the place," Todoroki stated, putting the tracker back in his jacket.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Bakugou ran towards the steps but was stopped by Todoroki.

"Don't forget the mine that Momo placed on the ground," he reminded.

Bakugou groaned and blasted his way to the entrance.

"Momo!" he yelled, eyes searching everywhere for the dark-haired Creati.

Bakugou found her strapped to the chair, unresponsive. He was triggered.

Before he could make a move, Mr. Whitaker appeared from his side and kicked him. The impact was so harsh that it sent him flying through the wall of the factory.

Todoroki saw the potential power in the old man and created his wall of ice. Mr. Whitaker didn't need to kick him directly as the force of the kick was enough to take down his ice wall. Todoroki held his ground and slid back. When he was close enough, Todoroki attempted to use his fire to burn him.

Mr. Whitaker used the force of his kick to blow out the fire. It knocked Shouto to the ground.

 _The machinery is making him move fast._ Todoroki observed.

"Don't interfere," Mr. Whitaker warned, coughing.

Shouto shot up an ice wall directly under Mr. Whitaker, launching him in the air. While in the air, Bakugou blasted his way over and shot Mr. Whitaker outside.

He landed roughly on his feet, "Hurry up and save, Momo."

Todoroki nodded. Bakugou ran in the direction of Mr. Whitaker.

Once he got to Momo, the machine was carefully intertwined with her body. One wrong slip, and he could damage her forever. Her lips were pale, her body weakened – the machine was eating her alive. Todoroki panicked, struggling to come up the plan. It pained him to see her in this condition.

As if she was able to sense his worry, Momo spoke, "Sh-Shouto..."

"Momo!" he held her face, making her feel his warm presence, "Don't worry! I'm going to get you out of here!"

She struggled to get the words out, "Destroy…Markers…"

Todoroki recalled seeing the markers on her tracker. He lit up a fire in his hand, "Just hang on a little longer, Momo."

Meanwhile, Bakugou was facing his own problems outside. He had to tread carefully, avoiding his kicks while scanning him for weak spots. _He's fast, but he's overly wary of my movements. Like he's scared of something. Strong legs, but what about his upper body?_

"You're got quite the quirk there, son," Mr. Whitaker chuckled, showing his lack of interest in the fight.

Bakugou gritted his teeth. If there was anything he hated, it was being underestimated. He took a step forward, but felt a wave of pain. The kick to his side put a toll on his body; his pumping adrenaline just made it more tolerable.

He minimized his movements and focused his explosive shot on Mr. Whitaker. His shot missed. Mr. Whitaker jumped in front of him. Luckily, Bakugou blew another explosion between him to avoid the hit.

"Ready to give in, boy?" Mr. Whitaker took his time to walk over to him.

 _Think of something, dammit. Gotta save, Momo…_

He remembered the mine she placed on the ground earlier. All he needed to do was get him to that spot. Bakugou smirked.

"I like that look on your face," Mr. Whitaker said mockingly.

Bakugou didn't waste any time and maneuvered his shots. As expected, Mr. Whitaker dodged his shots.

Mr. Whitaker didn't seem to break a sweat. On the other hand, Bakugou was using too much energy. He could feel the pain throbbing in his forearms. It was all worth it as Mr. Whitaker was close enough to the land mine.

"These are no ordinary mechanical legs, my good man. The finest, strongest pair in the world. Pretty efficient – only the best from our 'volunteers'. Now what do you say we end-"

"Take this you piece of shit!" Bakugou interjected, focusing his shot on the mine. Mr. Whitaker tried to escape, but the explosion was big enough to make impact. Even Bakugou took some damage and flew a feet to the ground – a small price he had to pay.

When Bakugou sat up, he felt somewhat relieved that he won the battle.

All too suddenly, Mr. Whitaker leaped out of the smoke and landed harshly on Bakugou, who thankfully placed his grenade arms in front of him to lighten the impact.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Bakugou growled, blood seeping through his teeth.

Mr. Whitaker applied more pressure. Bakugou groaned in agony, his shaking arms attempting to push him off.

"That takes care of that," Mr. Whitaker had some minor scratches, "You put up quite a fight, little one. When I'm done with you, I'll take care of that Todoroki boy. Such a shame to rid the world of gifts such as yourselves. When I'm done with the both of you, I'll drain that girl dry of her quirk."

"Fuck you!" he growled. It made Mr. Whitaker press him harder.

Mr. Whitaker lifted his leg for a second, and gave one hard slam onto Bakugou. By the time he was done, he couldn't move. His vision was blurred; he fought himself to stay conscious. Mr. Whitaker slowly walked away towards the building.

 _Stay the fuck away from her, you asshole…_ he struggled, but he was able to get onto his knees.

Just then, bursts of explosions came from the building. Pieces flew to the ground in flames. Bakugou heard Mr. Whitaker shout in despair about his life's work. While he was preoccupied, Bakugou gathered up all the strength he had into one last explosion.

"I won't let you touch her!" he shouted, charging at Mr. Whitaker.

It successfully blasted into Mr. Whitaker's back before he could notice, causing him to fall forward. This time, he stayed down.

Bakugou used up too much energy. He failed to stand and roughly dropped to his knees, panting.

 _I did it…_ His eyes turned in the direction of the building, searching.

Todoroki carried Momo out of the building. She was awake now, but too weak to move on her own.

Bakugou's heart skipped a beat. He took one heavy breath to gaze upon the girl he did this all for. It was all worth it, and her smile was as beautiful as ever.

His smile soon faded once he saw the whole picture. The way the both of them smiled at each other – he couldn't stand pain. The pain he felt in his body didn't compare to the pain he felt in his heart. He let the darkness take him. His vision faded away.


	16. Chapter 16: Secrets

Chapter 16: Secrets

"They said I'll be discharged today," Momo told Todoroki as she noticed him entering the room.

Once the doctor allowed him to enter the room, he took a seat next to her hospital bed. Upon entering, she didn't turn her head to look at him. She was staring out the window lost in thought, as if she was searching for the answers. He sat quietly, and patiently waited for her.

Ever since being rescued and admitted to the hospital, things between Yaoyorozu and Todoroki has been awkward. He told her everything that needed to be said and she reflected on it. So many thoughts ran through their minds; so many things to be said. Neither of them knew where to begin.

She didn't have the courage to meet his eyes, and he knew that she needed the space. He didn't dare question it. Although she didn't look at him, he couldn't keep his eyes of her. He admired her beauty, her intelligence – everything about her.

"Is Bakugou still asleep?" her voice caught him off guard.

"…No," he stated simply, pondering if he should ask her the questions he had in his head.

"Oh…" she moved her eyes to her fiddling fingers, thinking about the several ways she could approach Todoroki about the situation. It couldn't have been this hard. They knew each other for years.

Yearning to build their relationship, he tried to continue the conversation and offer his comfort, "Momo, if you need a place to stay-"

"I want…" she unintentionally interrupted him, hoping to get her words across first. It was something she wanted him to know; first and foremost, "I want to thank you for everything, Shouto."

He searched for her face, hoping that she would turn to him.

"Of course…" he responded, disappointed from the lack of her acknowledgement.

"There's something I thought you should know, Shouto," her voice sounded more serious, "Please don't hide things from me anymore.

Guilt struck him. No matter how much he wanted things to be normal to be between them, it wasn't going to happen now and not anytime soon. Shouto knew she was hurt. To try and talk to her now; it wasn't the right time. He cowered his head, staring into his empty palms, "…I understand."

There was so much more things to be said, but none of it was said that day.

* * *

Bakugou awakened to the sound of raindrops pattering against the windows of his hospital room. When he opened his eyes, the lights blinded his sight. His eyes opened hazily. A blur hovered over him. At first, he thought it was an angel.

"Rise and shine," the angel spoke softly.

"Momo?" her name involuntarily slipped out of her mouth.

Her giggle tingled in his ears, "Wow, you must be really hurting bad for you to call me by my first name."

He sat up carefully, still feeling some soreness. When his vision finally adjusted, Yaoyorozu was sitting beside him. Besides his parents and Kirishima, Momo also took the time to watch over him as he slept.

Her lips curled into a smile, "I'm glad you're finally awake, Bakugou."

Her hand gripped tightly onto his. Only then did he notice that she's been holding his hand while he slept. It was just as soft as it's always been.

He smugly smirked, "Better than ever, Ponytail."

Her hand released his and his eyes stared curiously at her as she stood up from her seat. She asked him, "Are you still hurting?"

Bakugou looked down at his body. Other than the splint and bandages, there was nothing else he noticed. His eyes returned to meet her magnificent onyx eyes.

He confidently scoffed, "Course I'm not fucking hurting. Who do you-Oi!"

Momo caught Bakugou by surprise when she wrapped her arms around his neck. The sweet smell of her hair tickled his nose and her smooth skin felt comforting against his. She couldn't help stop herself from crying.

"You stupid, Katsuki!" she hiccuped, holding him tighter," Don't do stupid shit like that again!"

He felt warmth in his chest. He laughed, "Did I just hear you cuss, Ponytail?"

A small chuckle escaped her lips. She buried her face into his neck, tears trickling down onto his skin. His patched up arms pulled her closer to him. There was only the sound of raindrops.

When Yaoyorozu calmed down, they talked as if everything was back to normal. She even went as far as teasing him about how long he's been asleep.

"Two days! What the hell did you expect?" he crossed his arms to exhibit his masculinity, "I beat the shit out of their leader."

She snickered, "I took down four members. That's three more than you."

Although he thought it was impressive, he always knew that Yaoyorozu was a worthy opponent. She was perfect in his eyes.

"I took down the strongest one," he argued.

Momo rolled her eyes at him, but still kept her blissful grin on her face.

She caught him up with everything he's missed in the past two days; her hand held onto his the whole time. It was a comfortable time. But like all good things, they must come to an end.

Katsuki tried his best to contain himself, but the question was eating him alive. He had to know. He just had to. The question finally came up: "So…you and Todoroki…"

He regretted saying his name as soon as it left his mouth. She retreated her hand to move her hair away from her face. Her cheeks blushed. Seeing her act this way; it bothered him.

"We're working things out," she broke her gaze away from his. Things were starting to unravel within him. The thought of them together heated him up. It was clear to Bakugou that she still loved Todoroki, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The hot-headed blonde didn't expect to sound as harsh as he did, "Guess you can finally get your shit out of my place now."

She looked shocked by his tone, stammering with her words, "W-What do you-"

"You're going to be with him now right?" he contained himself from exploding, "I don't have to babysit your ass no more."

Those words pierced through her heart. Momo's hand went to her chest, wishing she could control the pain she felt inside of it. He couldn't stand to look at her, and turned his eyes away from her. It pained him to know that she was happy with Todoroki.

The raindrops splattered heavier on the window.

"I see…" her voice was low, "It's that's how you feel –"

His head cocked back in her direction, his voice getting louder, "How I feel? This isn't about how I _feel_. I don't feel shit! I didn't do any of this for _you!_ "

She tried to search for some comfort in his eyes, but they were cold and harsh. He wanted her to feel the pain that he was feeling. Unlike the physical pain he felt in his body, this pain was something that couldn't be mended. He wanted so badly what he couldn't have. The pain burned inside of him.

"I made a deal with half-and-half," he explained, somewhat regretting yelling at her. Bakugou wanted her to leave and take his feeling with her, "I held up my end of the bargain. That's all."

Bakugou could see the sadness in her. He didn't want to care, but looking at her made the pain worse. His sight moved to his fists, which he had been clenching unexpectedly.

Without saying a word, she hastily stood up and was about to leave. Just when she opened the door, she spun around and politely bowed. He saw the tears crashing down to the floor.

Her voice cracked, trying to hide the fact that she was crying, "Thank you…for everything, Bakugou."

And with that, she left. A part of him wished that he didn't say those things, that she would come back into his room, that she would choose him over Todoroki. He just wanted them to go back to the way things were between them. Although she left the room, the pain that he felt for her continued to haunt him.

* * *

Momo tried to get as far away from his room as possible. She ran to the corner of the hospital that was empty. Finding the nearest wall, she slumped against the wall and sunk her face into her hands. As much as she tried to bury his words, they couldn't get out of her mind. The tears continued to come out of her eyes as she thought to herself.

 _It can't be true…_ Deep down, she felt that Bakugou was lying – that there was another reason for his actions. She wanted to confirm the truth and she knew just who to ask.

When Momo left the hospital, she didn't want to waste her time making an umbrella. The raindrops splashed on her skin, soaked her clothes, and slicked through her hair. She just ran as fast as her legs could take her.

* * *

"Is it true?!" the female barged in roughly through the door without knocking.

"Momo?" the fact that she unexpectedly appeared in his office, soaking wet, didn't surprise Todoroki. It was the fact that they haven't spoken to each other since the hospital. He was aware that she's been avoiding his calls, his texts – avoiding him, generally. To see her again like this; it was not how he imagined it would be.

Shouto was still in awe of the moment and didn't respond quick enough.

"What Bakugou did for me – No," Yaoyorozu shook her head, correcting herself, "That deal you made with him, is it true?"

His eyes traveled from her feet to her head. She took rapid breaths. She was dripping wet. Her eyes were swollen. He knew that her adrenaline was preventing her from feeling cold.

Todoroki had so much questions, but what he wondered most of all were her concerns for Bakugou. He stood up from his office chair and made his way to her, "Let's get you a change of clothes and some hot tea first. I'll show you to –"

"Tell me now, Shouto," her gaze was intense. In that moment, Momo wasn't herself: thinking before acting. She was acting on her emotions. And what her emotions told her was that Todoroki was too overprotective of her, that he didn't trust her. Too scared of her feelings. It all confused her.

The worry in his eyes became clear to her. He was just innocent man that cared for her. She remembered who she was talking to and calmed down, reflecting on her actions. Talking like this with Todoroki would not work. She was being too much like…

"I apologize," she dropped her head low and eased her shoulders.

The small grin on his face assured her that it was fine. Even though she was away from him for so long, there were some things that she clearly understood about him. Without a word, he extended his arm to her and guided her to the restroom to change into more comfortable clothes.

By the time she was done, Shouto was seated on the couch, patiently waiting for her. He had set her favorite choice of hot tea on the table in front of him. Before he could notice her, she gazed upon him from the corner. Her eyes studied his handsome face. To see him again and be able to talk to him brought back memories.

"Thank you, Shouto," she said warmly, taking a seat next to him on the couch.

Todoroki picked up the teacup and handed it to her, "Make nothing of it. Please drink some. It'll make you warm."

After seeing her drinking the tea, he politely scolded her, "Don't stand out in the rain too long. You will get sick."

His concern for her made Momo smile. He always had good intentions for her. It was one of the reasons why she fell so hard for him. Still, she knew that there were no excuses to hide things from her.

"Shouto," she placed the tea back on the table. From the look on her face, he knew that she was serious, "Did you make a deal with Bakugou?"

He averted his gaze to his hands that were resting on his lap, embarrassed to speak. Shouto didn't intentionally hide the deal with Bakugou from her. He just didn't believe it was important. In fact, he didn't want to talk about Bakugou at all with Momo.

"Yes," he admitted. It was easier to talk to her now.

Hearing his answer made her heart clench. Guilty pleasure or not, Bakugou was important to her.

 _You're such an idiot, Momo. What else did you expect?_ she told herself. She refocused her attention to Shouto, "Why didn't you tell me at the hospital?"

"I didn't mean to hide it from you," his hands formed into fists on his lap, "I felt like I wasn't good enough to protect you…They almost took you from me. If Bakugou hadn't been there I don't know what would've happened to you."

Shouto cared about Momo, that was certain in her eyes. Her feelings for him weren't clear, but she couldn't stand to see him like that. Her hands grabbed his fists. Todoroki eased up from her touch.

"I'm not a child. You don't always need to protect me," she bent forward, trying to look him in the eyes, "Just talk to me and we can work it out together."

"But…"

She sighed. Her fingers moved from his hands to his cheeks to make him face towards her, "No more secrets."

It took a while before he responded. She was beauty, she was grace, she was perfection. He smiled, appreciating her for who she was. He nodded his head in agreement, "No more secrets."

Being this close to him, Momo felt nervous. She forgot how captivating he was. Her body didn't move as his face came closer to hers, his lips gently kissing hers. Although she was taken by surprise, it was satisfying. Her eyes closed, losing herself in his kiss. This what was supposed to happen.

It all felt so right.

So why did she feel so wrong?

 **Flashbacks…**

 _"_ _Wake up, Ponytail!" The blonde yelled, waking her up after defeating Tentos, "I said wake the fuck up!"_

 _!_

 _"_ _Don't tell me no, Ponytail," the angry drunk grinned, hovering over her, his breath reeking of alcohol._

 _!_

 _"_ _Let's have dinner somewhere," he spoke delicately. His eyes were soft, almost begging._

 _!_

 _He looked handsome, sitting across from her in his white long sleeve and black slacks. His red eyes glistened with the night lights. His cheeks blushed. In that moment, he wasn't his usual tough self. He was vulnerable, "Don't worry about it."_

 _!_

 _Why am I thinking about him?_ Yaoyorozu thought to herself, still enveloped in Todoroki's lips. Her eyes shut tighter, hoping to bury those thoughts deep in her mind. It didn't work.

"I missed you, Momo," Todoroki finally said, breaking their kiss.

Her words stumbled, still shocked by her recollections of Bakugou, "I…I-I missed you too."


	17. Chapter 17:The Way It Is Part One

Chapter 17: "The Way It Is" Part One

"Bro," Kirishima just finished up sealing another box in Bakugou's apartment, "You gotta tell her."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," Katsuki continued stacking books in the box. If there were anything he did not want to talk about before moving to another city, it would be about Yaoyorozu Momo. She was in love with Todoroki Shouto, which was the more reason to move away. Shouto did not forget his deal with him and landed him a position at the hero agency with the biggest district area. The hero agency was in another city – perfect for him to run away from all this. Two weeks was all he had left in this hellhole.

Kirishima exhaled, "Wouldja cut that out already."

"Why are you here anyway?!" he was obviously annoyed with his presence. He didn't ask him for his help, but there he was.

"You haven't spoken to _anyone_ in days and I heard from Todoroki that you're gonna be leaving soon. Couldn't leave you to do this all by yourself," Kirishima grinned happily at him. Bakugou was not amused.

 _Don't you fucking mention that name under my roof,_ Bakugou whispered to himself, shoving the books a little too roughly in the box.

Kirishima heard him and shook his head. He proceeded to picking up the box, "Where do you want me to put this?"

Bakugou nodded his head in towards the corner of the room. On his way there, Kirishima noticed a lonely box in the opposite side of the corner. He eyed it nosily as he placed down the box. While Bakugou wasn't looking, he went through it. He was suspiciously quiet for a while. When he turned to see what Kirishima was doing, Bakugou flinched upon seeing the curious red head go through the box.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bakugou barked, snatching the red uniform out of Kirishima's hands.

"Dude, why do you have her stuff?" he peered his eyes at him.

Bakugou shoved the uniform back in the box and kicked it away from him, "I'm gonna throw it out!"

"Are you though?" Kirishima knew that there were other reasons.

He stomped away from his and continued stacking the books. His denial made Kirishima concerned.

"You can't hide your feelings, Bakugou," he sighed. Even though he talked to the love-struck blonde about this before, Bakugou kept rejecting his own feelings and Kirishima couldn't understand why.

"Shut up!" he yelled over him.

"How are you gonna know how she feels if you don't-"

"Kirishima, shut-"

He interjected Bakugou, "I will not shut up! She might feel the sa-"

"She's in love with that Todoroki bastard, Kirishima!" he shouted, throwing the books to the floor. He was frustrated. Frustrated with himself, of his feelings, of everything. He knew that she loved Todoroki – she's loved him since the beginning. He had bested Todoroki many times. But, Bakugou wasn't the winner. Bakugou heaved a heavy breath and spoke more softly, "I'm not the one she wants."

Kirishima watched helplessly as his friend slumped over his couch. He saw how much Yaoyorozu meant him. He saw how heartbroken Bakugou was as he dug his face into his palms. Kirishima sat next to his frustrated friend and placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"I fucking hate that Todoroki…" Bakugou groaned.

* * *

"Momo," Todoroki spoke louder to her, holding a box of her belongings in his hands.

Momo snapped out of her thoughts, her hand still grasping the book that was supposed to go in the bookshelf. She looked back at Todoroki, somewhat guilty that her thoughts were filled with Bakugou Katsuki, "Y-Yes?''

"I've said your name at least three times," Shouto explained, concerned, "Are you alright?"

She didn't realize how deep in thought she was, "Y-Yes sorry. I was just thinking about where I'm going to put everything."

"I see," he felt like there was something more than that. These passed few days has left Todoroki perplexed. Momo wasn't herself. She's been distant from him. She wasn't smiling like she used to, talking to him like she used to. He felt like he knew, but he was too afraid to ask. He left it buried deep inside of him.

Shouto set down the box and tried to change the subject, "Are you sure this is all you need?"

"Yes, thank you," she went back to stacking the books. She remembered the books she left on Bakugou's bookshelf. She thought about how they read the same books, how they laughed at books that were poorly written, how he enjoyed reading books while he laid on her lap. The sound of scissors puncturing tape snapped her out of it again.

"If we don't finish unpacking by tonight, you're always welcomed at my place," he offered. Now that her condo was all fixed up, her and Todoroki spent the day moving the boxes from storage back to her place.

She eyed at all the boxes with a tired face, "I don't think I'll be finished by tonight. I still have other boxes to get."

He almost didn't want to ask this question, but Todoroki was curious, "Did you leave any boxes at Bakugou's?"

His name almost made her drop her book, she gulped. Yaoyorozu hasn't told Todoroki anything that happened between her and Bakugou. She intended to tell him – just not now.

"I-I don't think so," she stammered.

He could tell she was getting uncomfortable, "I could always get it from him-"

"No!" she screamed immediately, "It's not really important to me anyway."

Shouto still had questions about Bakugou and Yaoyorozu. Questions that had answers he was afraid to hear. She never spoke about Bakugou, and he didn't press her about it either.

"Okay…" he wanted to see her face, but she was too preoccupied stacking books - Too preoccupied thinking about him. They continued unpacking in silence. Their bodies were there, but their minds weren't.

He just wanted everything to go back to the way it was, but it wasn't going to change if he kept quiet.

"Momo," he stood behind her. Her long black hair twirled with her as she turned around to him.

"We need to talk."

There was a sinking feeling in her gut, feeling like she knew what it was going to be about. She nodded her head. Together they walked over to the couch and took a seat. She was uneasy.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

She responded, "Y-Ye-"

Todoroki cocked his head to her, "Don't lie to me, Yaoyorozu."

His reaction surprised her. She tried to assure him, "I'm not lying, Shouto."

"Momo," he sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He didn't know where to start. He said what he felt, "Everything is different."

Guilt poked her. She didn't realize how distant she's been with Shouto, the man who would do anything for her; the man believed she loved. She laid her head on his shoulder, "Shouto…"

"I feel like there's something bugging you, Momo."

Her eyes looked up to his. He was looking at her, waiting for an answer. She managed a small smile, attempting to convince him, "I'm just…trying to figure things out between us."

His eyes averted to his hands. He kept silent, taking in her answer. She didn't want to take her eyes off of him. She wanted Shouto to be in her thoughts all the time.

"Do you love me?" he whispered.

She looked into his beautiful eyes. He loved her with all his heart. She wanted to love him– she wanted to so badly. Yaoyorozu pulled him in, her lips entwined in his. She let her body fall onto his and he held onto her waist, his back falling to the couch.

She broke away from their kiss for a moment. Shouto watched her curiously. Momo was going to prove to him that she loved him. She pulled off her black spaghetti strap, revealing her lacey black bra. Her fingers reached to the latch of her bra.

Todoroki grabbed her hand before she went on with it, "Momo, you don't have to do this."

She didn't want to think about this. She had to prove her love for him. Momo kissed him gently, her hands took the shirt off his back. She thought she saw blonde hair for a second. Her eyes blinked as she sat up.

Her body felt hot all of a sudden, but she buried those thoughts. Her eyes returned to his face, her gaze intense. He sat up and kissed her more passionately, their tongues getting tangled in one another. His fingers undid the latch of her bra and his lips escaped to suck on her nipples.

 _Bakugou._ Shouto ran his hand down his back while his other hand fondled her breast. A soft gasp left her lips once feeling his tongue swirl around her nipple. His thumb brushed her other nipple, imitating his tongue movements. He suckled and flickered her nipple in his mouth.

She swore she heard his voice in her head.

 _Hey Ponytail._

Her thighs squeezed together, she felt herself getting wet. When Shouto's mouth left her breasts, her nipples were nice and slippery. After Momo slipped off her underwear, she undid his pants.

His cock was hard when she pulled it out. She kissed his lips once again while her hand stayed busy stroking his dick. He moaned in her mouth as she played with him.

Momo didn't want to waste anymore time and propped herself on to him. Her wetness grinded on his dick. He groaned with every movement as shaft rubbed against her slippery folds.

 _Bakugou._ She grinded harder, feeling his head rubbing her clit. She forced herself to look at Todoroki when she felt herself getting hotter. She moved her hips forward to push his dick into her.

They both let out a pleasured moan. She bit her bottom lip, shutting her eyes tightly, containing herself from yelling out _his_ name like she used to. His hands ran all over her body: her breasts, her waist, her hips, her ass.

 _Bakugou._ She tightened herself around him; her hands grabbed the couch, forcing herself to let his stiff cock go deeper into her. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her. His face turned up to look at her, he was more aroused by her beautiful face. She threw her head back, his lips kissing wherever he could on her chest. His breath was warm against her skin. Her fingers gripped onto his shoulders.

Todoroki's body yearned for her. He pulled her down onto him, intensifying his thrusts into her – harder and faster. Their breaths became heavier. She continued to rock her hips, his dick brushing against the walls inside of her, his body steaming.

The pleasure burned in his body- he couldn't hold it in anymore. He pulled himself out at the last minute, his white release splattering on her thighs.

His arms loosened from around her waist. He held her face in his hands and with a heavy breath he told her, "I love you, Momo."

"I-I love you too, Shouto," she told herself. Momo couldn't stand it. _He_ was the only one on her mind, even when she had an amazing boyfriend. She felt terrible, evil, wicked.

 _What's wrong with me?_ She thought to herself as she put on her clothes. _Why can't I stop thinking about him?_

"Momo," Shouto called to her after looking through the messages on his phone.

"Yes?" she responded, turning to him. He was still shirtless on the couch. Todoroki was intelligent, kind, passionate, handsome…but he wasn't _him._

He grabbed his shirt while eyeing his phone, "I have to go to work. Will you be okay packing by yourself?"

It would be time that she needed for herself. She said, "I'll be fine."

Todoroki smiled and pulled on his shirt. He proceeded to kissing her on the forehead, "I'll see you tonight."

Shouto bid her goodbye before heading out the door.

YaoMomo made her way to unpacking the nearest box. She thought about Todoroki.

All too suddenly his face was replaced with Bakugou's. Every moment, past to present. Then she thought about her time with Bakugou – their happy moments, sad moments. She missed him.

 _I love you, Ponytail._ She could've sworn that's what she heard.

"Ughh!" she groaned, "I need to clear my head."

* * *

 _I know he was mad but geez, he didn't have to kick me out,_ Kirishima grunted to himself, scratching his head, _I can't believe he's going to leave it like this._

Out of anger and frustration, Bakugou told Kirishima to leave. Kirishima knew this and didn't take it to heart. He had to find a way to help out his bro. He went on a guess and walked towards Todoroki's favorite café in hopes of finding Momo.

It was fate.

"Yo! YaoMomo!" Kirishima waved yelled over to her from across the street. Yaoyorozu was on her way to the café, surprised to see him. Kirishima showed a 'wait there' sign and made his way to her.

"It's good to see you, Kirishima," she greeted him politely as he ran towards her, "Would you like to join me for some tea?"

"I'd love to," he grinned, overjoyed by her presence, "Same coffee joint as Todoroki right?"

His name threw her off guard. She nodded her head nervously walking forward, "Y-yes."

He noticed the strangeness in her, "Where is he anyway?"

She flinched again. Todoroki equated to feelings of guilt.

"H-He got called into work at the last minute," she looked onto the sidewalk pavement, "He was helping me move back into my condo and I needed…a break."

"Oh!" Kirishima smiled even wider with the lack of Todoroki's presence. Momo was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice.

"By the way," Kirishima placed a hand on her shoulder, "Bakugou was mentioning something about wanting to give you your stuff back."

She stopped in her tracks. It was hard to contain her excitement, "H-H-He did?"

It was easy to see the elation on her face. Kirishima had a hunch about how much Bakugou meant to Momo, but the look on her face confirmed it. He had a content grin.

"Yeah. He was gonna call you, but he's busy packing too."

"Oh…I didn't realize he was leaving so soon," she put her head down somewhat depressed that Bakugou hasn't kept in contact with her. Momo smiled weakly as she continued walking, "I'm happy for him."

Kirishima walked ahead of her to face her, "Yeah so get what _you need_ to get before _he leaves_."

His tone didn't get quite get to her. She convinced herself that she was only going to get her things.

"I guess, I won't keep him waiting," she waved to him, "We'll have tea another time then, Kirishima."

Kirishima happily waved back to her and watched her joyously hum her way to Bakugou's apartment.

* * *

Bakugou was irritated to be awakened from his nap. He groggily reached for his phone that vibrated aside him. He looked at the caller ID before answering it.

"This better be fucking good, Kirishima," he growled upon answering the phone.

"Oi, Bakugou! Guess who I ran into?" Kirishima teased.

"I'm hanging up," Bakugou pulled the phone away from his face. Kirishima yelled louder to get his attention. Right when he was going to hang up the phone, he heard him mention her name.

His heart was intrigued. He brought the phone back to his ear, "What of it?"

"Yeah bro, I bumped into YaoMomo."

"And what the fuck of it?" he repeated, trying to make it seem like he didn't care.

"I told her that you wanted to come over and get her st-"

"What?!"

Bakugou was startled by a knock on his door. Kirishima snickered in the background, "Oh. You should answer that."

"Kirishima! I'm going to-"

"Sorry, gotta go! Good luck!" and with that, Kirishima hung up.

Bakugou almost crushed the phone in his hands.

"Bakugou?" she yelled through the door before knocking again.

Hearing her delicate voice made his heart flutter, but he had to hold it down. His fingers ran from his face to his spikey blonde hair. He had to compose himself. It was going to be tough. Before he opened the door, he had to take in a deep breath.

His knees felt so weak. It was hard to contain himself when he laid his eyes upon her. In that moment, she was more alluring than she's ever been. He was wide-eyed, mouth agape; he swore his heart was going to jump out of his chest.

"H-Hi," Momo greeted faintly, rubbing her arm. She was uneasy to be in front of the man who's always in her thoughts. Seeing him now, it was difficult to keep her eyes off of him, "It's…been a while."

"Y-Yeah," he responded, getting himself back to reality.

It was silent for a while as they got lost in each other, trying to find to right words to say, pondering about how they should act. When did it all get so awkward between them?

Their moment was interrupted by the buzzing of YaoMomo's phone notification. When she picked it up from her purse, the words "I love you" could be read on the screen. It was from her boyfriend, Todoroki Shouto. She brought herself together and faced Bakugou normally.

"I…" she coughed and adjusted her purse strap, "Kirishima said you wanted me to get my stuff."

Bakugou was partially disappointed to hear that. Something inside of him wanted more, but that wasn't something he was going to get into. She didn't pick him; he had to tell himself. She doesn't love you; he convinced himself. His heart suddenly felt heavy.

But he just smirked at her as if things were normal. It had to be.

"Fucking finally," he said to her before turning away with a sullen look.

Momo followed behind him as he walked inside his apartment. There were boxes everywhere – some open and some packed neatly to the side. It made her sad to look at them. It was hard to believe that he was leaving.

Bakugou pointed at her stuff in the corner, and sat on a lone chair to continue packing his things. As much as he wanted to talk to her, he believed there wasn't going to be anything more for them. He didn't want to look back. This was how it was going to be.

"The biggest district, huh?" she asked, attempting to mask her dismal tone.

He was going to turn his head to look at her, but he stopped himself. It hurt to look at the woman you loved when she didn't love you back. He stated, "There's nothing for me here."

 _Yes there is_. Is what she wanted to say. She clenched onto her purse strap and stared at the back of his head, eager to see his face again. She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to talk to him like they used to; laugh together like they used to; be happy like they used to. But she knew that's not what he wanted. He didn't choose to stay; he didn't choose to be with her.

"You don't have to leave," was the best she managed to get out.

She saw his shoulders slump as he let out a sigh. He said more sternly, "Are you saying there's something worth staying for?"

How she missed those red eyes, his handsome face. Momo wanted to throw her arms around him, tell him how she felt and how he's been in her mind all day.

But she was scared to be rejected.

Her eyes retreated to her phone screen. It gave her the answer.

"I don't know…" she spoke.

His heart ached. She couldn't see how hard his hands were clenching the box. He spoke, "That's what I thought."

She knew what to say, but she couldn't say it. It was no use staying. They were both convinced.

Momo got her things and started out the door. She couldn't turn back. This was how they were going to leave their relationship: no 'goodbyes', no 'see you again'. It was over for the both of them.

 _It was fun while it lasted, Ponytail._


	18. Chapter 18: The Way It Is (Final)

Chapter 18 (The Final Chapter): "The Way It Is" Part Two

Shouto Todoroki didn't question why she rarely slept in his bed. He didn't question why she preferred to be by herself most nights, eyes dried from crying. He didn't question why she said Bakugou's name in her sleep.

Shouto didn't question why her smiles didn't dance across her face like it used to; how her voice no longer sang when she spoke; how her eyes didn't shine like they used to.

Was this happiness?

All these questions he already knew the answers to.

Is this a relationship if the feelings aren't reciprocated? Was it worth sacrificing their happiness? Was he damaging their relationship by staying in it? Was he supposed to let go of the woman he loved?

"Momo?" he called to her. He desired to reach out to her. She didn't respond. She was there, but she wasn't _there._ Her hand felt limp in his grip as they walked through the park. Everyone seemed to be happy around them. Everyone but them.

Her footsteps ceased, focusing her attention on a couple sitting on a bench. It all seemed perfect as they giggled about nonsense. Yet, whether it made sense to anyone else didn't matter – it made sense to them.

"They look happy. Don't you think so, Shouto?" the smile on her face seemed off to him.

He turned to face her completely, but her eyes were preoccupied with admiring the couple. They both longed for that feeling. That was not going to happen between them.

"And would you say we're happy, Momo?" he allowed himself to speak his mind. Shouto was tired of trying to find the answers himself.

Her eyes focused back to Shouto, studying his face for an answer. She wanted to believe she was, but she didn't answer him. They ached to find that same spark in each other's eyes – the same spark that made them fall in love with each other. Gone.

"Well if it isn't the Todorokis!" Kaminari joked, walking his way over to them. Both Momo and Shouto felt somewhat relieved to be interrupted. A familiar red head walked behind him, shaking his head. Kirishima was well-aware of the situation: both Bakugou and Yaoyorozu didn't want to accept their feelings.

"How are you two?" Kirishima asked curiously before furrowing his eyebrows at YaoMomo.

YaoMomo was too busy searching for the missing person in their group. Shouto watched her become disappointed to see it was just Kirishima and Kaminari.

"We're fine," Shouto answered even though it was a lie, "Where are you two headed?"

"We're going to head to Bakugou's before he leaves tonight," Kaminari told them.

Todoroki could've sworn he saw Momo's eyes gleam at the mention of _his_ name.

"He's…He's leaving tonight?" she let the words slip out of her mouth, "I thought he leaves next week."

Kirishima looked down out of guilt. When he went back to Bakugou's apartment on the same day Momo visited, Bakugou was silent. It was normal for Bakugou to be loud, but for him to be silent – it wasn't good. Kirishima knew that their relationship was broken. He scratched the back of his head, unable to gaze her in the eyes, "He caught an earlier flight. He leaves around 7:30 tonight."

Kaminari wrung his arm around Kirishima's neck as he joked, "That guy really wants to get the hell away from us! Too bad he can't keep us away forever!"

Shouto saw the devastation on Momo's face; how her eyes started to become watery.

Kaminari couldn't read the aura around them, "What about you two? Where ya lovebirds heading off to?"

"We're heading home. I'm taking Momo to an orchestra at Diamond Hall tonight."

"Ooh! How fancy!" Kaminari teased.

"We better get going then! You two take care!" Kirishima was able to sense the awkwardness between them. He took Kaminari and they both went off.

Hand in hand, Momo and Shouto listened to their quiet footsteps tapping against the pavement as they made their way home.

* * *

"Bakugou!" Kaminari knocked on his door again, edging the explosive blonde to open his apartment door.

Kirishima shook his head at Kaminari. He was already aware that Bakugou wasn't in the mood, "I told you he was busy."

"We can't just let him leave without giving him a proper goodbye!" Kaminari explained reaching out for his doorknob. To their surprise, his door was open.

"He didn't lock his door?" Kirishima asked, pointing inside. Kaminari shook his head and they proceeded inside curiously.

His apartment was dark and empty. Everything has been cleared out, ready for him to move into his new home.

"It's like no one ever lived here," Kaminari searched the room for an ounce of life. They didn't find Bakugou in the living room.

"Oi! Bakugou!" Kirishima called out to his friend. No one responded. He resorted to check his bedroom.

Bakugou almost seemed motionless as he sat in his lonely chair, book spread across his lap, legs crossed and his cheek resting on his hand. He was re-reading a book that was introduced to him not too long ago.

Kirishima and Kaminari's presence didn't faze him. He sat still, focusing on the book that had a hint of her scent; had her notes scribbled on the sides; had her favorite pages marked with a tab. Bakugou just wanted to be alone with his book.

Bakugou didn't move a muscle to greet the two.

"Heeyyyyy," Kaminari grinned widely to greet his good friend.

Bakugou wasn't having it, and didn't say a word in response.

Kirishima expected him to act this way. There was nothing he could say or do to make him feel better – only time could fix a broken heart.

"I told you he's still not feeling well," Kirishima scolded Kaminari and then turned to Bakugou.

Kaminari shrugged his shoulders at him, "We just wanted to say goodbye before you went off."

No words came out of Bakugou's mouth.

"Oh, c'mon," Kaminari poked at Bakugou's cheek, "You know you're gonna miss this place."

Bakugou didn't so much as growl. He just took his book and left the room.

"Whoa," Kaminari was in shock. Sure, Bakugou has yelled at him and criticized him, but never had Kaminari become non-existent to him, "You're right. He isn't feeling well."

Kirishima patted his shoulder and made his way to the balcony where Bakugou escaped. Kaminari waited patiently in the living room and scrolled through his phone.

"So you're really leaving tonight, huh?" Kirishima had his back against the railing, looking up at the clouds in the sky.

Bakugou held the book tightly in his hand as he stared off into the distance. Is this how it truly felt like to be unhappy? It was painful.

"Yeah…" he responded hoarsely.

Kirishima peeked over to him, getting a good look at his face. Katsuki looked tired – almost weak: Dark circles formed under his eyes and his lips were pale. Kirishima didn't rush him. He allowed Bakugou to speak.

"She doesn't know what she wants," Bakugou finally confessed, "Even if she does feel the same way, what if-"

He bit his tongue, realizing he was revealing too much.

Kirishima moved closer to him, "That's just how it is. You don't really know how it's going to be like in the future."

That didn't make him feel any better, but he listened anyway. It was a problem Bakugou couldn't solve by himself.

"What _does_ matter is how you feel about each other now. What you do now can change everything," Kirishima smiled.

Such simple words, yet it wasn't so easy. Bakugou stayed quiet, contemplating about his sacrifices.

The easy-going red head nudged his arm and chuckled, "Then again, how would I know?"

* * *

Momo was a terrible liar.

Shouto stood outside his bathroom door, listening as every sniffle and small hiccup broke off a piece of his heart. It hurt to find out that woman he loved didn't love him – but it hurt him even more to see her crumbling before his eyes. He exhaled heavily, hoping to release the pressure he felt on his shoulders.

"Shouto?" Momo was surprised to see his reflection on the bathroom mirror. She quickly attempted to wipe away the tears.

He watched her. She tried so hard to bury her feelings and shut him out. Shouto thought back to when things were easier; when their relationship made him feel like he was above everything. Now, how deep below the earth have they sunk? He contemplated on what could have happened between them, what could have been avoided. But the past didn't matter. There was nothing he could do to change what it was now.

His hand reached out to her, fingers gripping onto her wrists warmly, "Please, don't cry anymore."

Her lips squeezed together tightly, eyes begging him to be free from this pain called love. When the tears didn't stop falling, he placed his forehead on hers and looked at her with honest eyes.

"Look at me, Momo," Shouto whispered trying to calm her. She focused on him, gazing upon the man who deserved to be loved. She couldn't lie anymore – not to him and not to herself.

"I'm sorry," she cried, shaking in his grip, "Shouto, I'm so sorry."

"That's enough now," he smiled tenderly. Shouto had to be strong. To show her how pained he was wouldn't make things easier. Having her smile, regardless of it all, it was worth it.

"I forgive you, Momo."

Yaoyorozu's shoulders felt so much lighter. Hearing him say those words eased the burden that she carried on her back. She didn't have to lie anymore. As much as she wanted to give her heart to him, she couldn't. Momo cried into his chest and he wrapped his arms around her in acceptance. Although he was hurt, he felt somewhat relieved to know the truth.

"I regret sending you to that hothead," Todoroki joked.

She was able to let out a small chuckle in the middle of her sniffling. She croaked, "I didn't mean for this to be this way, Shouto."

"You can't force love," he reassured her, stroking her head, "Don't apologize for it. You deserve to be happy and I can't take that away from you."

Momo held onto him tighter, feeling comfortable in his arms. She remembered the time when she used to dream about being in his arms like this. She didn't imagine being in his arms for a reason such as this. Momo will forever cherish what they had and she will always keep him in her heart. He always looked out for her.

"You could still talk him out of it."

YaoMomo wiped her cheeks. Her urge to cry ceased as she looked up to him, "No, I can't do that to him."

"Momo," Todoroki knew there was more for her. In his eyes, she deserved the world.

"I'm not going to get in the way of his dream. If he wants to become the number one hero, this will be a great opportunity for him."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine!" she forced a smile on her face.

He wasn't too convinced by the expression on her face. Shouto had to do something – something that'll change the future. He said to her, "You should go and get ready then."

"Huh?" she was confused.

"My girlfriend just broke up with me," he pulled out the Diamond Hall concert tickets from his pocket and flashed it, "So I have a ticket just for you."

Momo laughed heartily. Seeing her like this made his heart flutter again. It was the first time in a long time that he's seen her real glimmering smile.

* * *

Bakugou just finished packing his luggage when he heard a knock on his door. He figured that it was Kaminari and Kirishima again and decided to ignore it. But, the knocks were persistent - persistent enough to irritate him. It almost compared to the amount of irritation he felt when he saw Todoroki. Speak of the devil.

"You have some fucking nerve to come here, Todoroki," Bakugou growled under his breath upon seeing the white and red haired male, "To what do I owe the mother fucking pleasu-"

"May I come in?" Todoroki didn't want to waste any time, especially since he had a date tonight.

Bakugou scoffed. As much as he wanted to slam the door shut, punch him in the face, kick his teeth in, choke him, and blow him up, Bakugou was an adult.

There wasn't anything in Bakugou's apartment so they walked out into the balcony. Todoroki leaned on the railing and gazed out into the view. Bakugou leaned back against it, waiting for him to give him a reason for his annoying presence.

It must have been a couple minutes until Bakugou got impatient and finally spoke up, "Well?"

Shouto didn't respond – as if Bakugou wasn't already irritated.

"Hey! I'm speaking to you fuckfac-"

"I have a date tonight," Shouto interrupted.

A vein shot up on Bakugou's forehead. It wasn't expected, and it was definitely something he didn't want to hear. He shouted at her, "If you think you can just come here and brag to my-"

"Yaoyorozu Momo. That's my date," Todoroki interrupted again.

He shouted even louder, "Would you fucking stop cutting me off-"

"But she's not my girlfriend anymore…"

His anger depleted in a second.

"W-Wha-"

Todoroki turned his head in the direction of Bakugou, who was too shocked to respond properly. Todoroki flat out asked him in the middle of his shock, "You love her too, don't you?"

Bakugou flinched at his words, still unable to compute the current situation. _Love? That's not…I love her? Is that how I feel? No, no! Why the hell is he even telling me about this?!_

Bakugou couldn't accept it, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Todoroki scoffed, "Think about all the things you've done for her or how it makes you feel even thinking about her for one second...And then tell me again that you don't know what I'm talking about."

Bakugou was speechless. Just the mention of her name made his thoughts scrambled.

"You love her," Shouto repeated as if clarifying it for him, "You love Yaoyorozu Momo."

It was hard to choke it down. She was his weakness: her eyes, her smile, her voice, her smell, her touch, everything that was her.

In his silence, Todoroki continued to speak, "Do you want to know why she broke up with me?"

Bakugou kept his mouth shut. He wanted to hear it, his eyes desperately begging for the answer he desired.

"She loves you."

His heart danced uncontrollably. In that moment, he felt invincible, restless, so full of life. He clenched his fists to discipline himself, but Todoroki could see how he felt by his stupid grin.

"S-she loves me?" Bakugou's voice shook. His decision seemed clearer now.

"So what are you going to do now?" Shouto expected him to drop everything for her. It was what he, himself, would do.

Bakugou thought about Yaoyorozu and Todoroki's break-up, and what he discussed with Kirishima. He thought about how madly in love she was with Todoroki, how heartbroken she was about him, how she chose Todoroki before himself. Who's to say she would suddenly stop loving Bakugou as she did with Todoroki? He had to think about his future, his dream: number one hero.

He opened his fists, realizing what he had to let go. His priorities were in order, "You think I'm just going to throw this opportunity away for some girl?"

Todoroki was immediately offended by that and took a step towards him, "We both know she's not just some girl."

"And what the fuck do you expect, Todoroki?" he held his ground against him.

"I expect you to go to her."

If there was anything Bakugou hated, it was being told what to do, especially from Todoroki Shouto. He stepped closer to him, "Why the hell are you doing this anyway? Is this some sick joke to you? Are you trying to fuck with my mind so that you could steal the number one spot from me?"

"You know damn well she means more than that," Todoroki was facing him, man to man.

"If she meant so much to you, why did you let her go?"

Todoroki shook his head, "You really don't know anything."

He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, ready to beat him down, "Don't you fucking patronize me, you shitty bastard! You broke her heart in the first place! You made her doubt herself! You shattered her to pieces! You have no mother fucking right to tell me what to do with my life!"

His words hurt, but they were true. Todoroki looked him dead in the eyes, "You may be right about that…"

"Of cour-"

"But you were the one who brought the pieces back together," Shouto felt Bakugou's grip loosen up on him, "It was you, you idiot."

Bakugou was completely taken by his words and released him. He didn't know what to think anymore. Doubt still shuffled in the back of his mind, "Still...I can't just…"

Shouto could see that he was still struggling with his decision, "Do you know what love is, Bakugou?"

He stared at him, hoping that he would get an answer that will help him make a decision.

"With Momo….I want her to be happy, even if it's not with me. You know why?"

Bakugou didn't dare interrupt him.

"She's the only person I have loved enough to put before myself. As long as she's happy...Well, I would be content."

 _That's what love is._

Bakugou thought about the things he has done for her. His selfless acts and the risks he took to make sure she was safe. It was easier back then. When did it all get so complicated?

He stared at his empty palms, then to the inside of his apartment. He recollected the times him and Momo were happy together. Nothing else mattered then as long as they were side by side.

He stared to the empty corner where her box of belongings once occupied. Momo didn't stop Bakugou from going. Momo chose to stay with Todoroki and all of a sudden, she wanted Bakugou. The sacrifices he was going to take to put his chances on something as fragile as love?

"Stop making excuses for yourself," Todoroki could see the struggle in his face. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't make the same mistake I did, Bakugou."

* * *

Momo posed in the mirror, inspecting her wardrobe for tonight. It was a laced, strapless, black dress with a high slit. Red stilettos matched with her clutch purse and complimented her dress nicely.

"His favorite color, she laughed to herself as somewhat of a closure to her own feelings, "And mine…"

Thinking of him made her eyes shoot back to the box she picked up at Bakugou's place. She looked through the box, at the same time, imagining what could have happened between them if she asked him to be with her.

"Quite the couple," she teased. Momo thought about holding him, kissing him - just being together with him. She thought about the things he did for her and how thankful she was for having him in her life.

Then for some reason, Momo started to think about the things she did for him. There was nothing to compare. What he did for her couldn't amount to anything she's done for him. Now, it was her turn to do something.

Momo was quick to jump to her feet and fly out the door. She rushed passed the people, the cars, the buildings; her feet throbbed in her heels, her skin sweat, her breath heaved - all she could focus on was him and it was all that mattered.

"YaoMomo?" Kirishima was shocked to see her at the airport, especially since she was dressed so elegantly while gasping for air.

"W-Where?" she held her balance on Kirishima's shoulders as she asked him, "Where is Bakugou?"

He knew why she was there and tried to ease her with a soft voice, "I'm sorry, YaoMomo."

She looked at him in despair, not wanting to hear the next words that came out of his mouth.

"It's too late…"

Her heart sunk deep in her gut. There was a part of her that wanted to believe Bakugou would've stayed for her. Was that too good to be true?

 _You're such an idiot, Momo,_ she told herself as she dragged her feet out of the airport. Yaoyorozu ignored Kirishima's voice calling her. She just wanted to get out of there.

By the time Momo reached the Diamond Hall concert, she was 10 minutes late for the date. Todoroki was waiting for her outside, dressed in a handsome white suit. Although they have just broken up, his smile was genuine when he laid his eyes on her.

She tried her best to keep herself composed, "Sorry I'm late, Shouto."

He shook his head, "You're not too late."

Yaoyorozu appreciated his understanding and took his hand when he helped her up the stairs. Her legs were tired of running, especially when she did it in heels. They were about to enter the building when a thought popped in her mind.

"Why aren't you inside?" she asked him curiously. She already had her own ticket to enter, so there was no reason for him to wait for her outside.

Shouto's lips curled into a smile before he kissed her hand. Momo was bewildered by his actions.

"There's someone in my seat," he chuckled. It didn't take her long to figure it out. Her eyes widened, realizing the _someone_ Todoroki was talking about.

"Bakugou?" his name tingled on her lips. Shouto nodded.

A mixture of feelings rushed through her body. She immediately jumped into Shouto's arms, all giddy from the adrenaline.

"I-I don't know what to say," she nervously laughed unable to hold in her fluttering heart.

"Just don't keep that idiot waiting," Shouto told her sweetly, his arms hugging her warmly.

She gave him a loving kiss on the cheek and looked into his eyes as she said the words, "I love you, Shouto."

It was a love of companionship and he understood that. He pressed his lips to her forehead and told her, "I love you too, Momo."

And just like that, she was off. The moment was all too sudden for Shouto. Although, their relationship didn't work between them, Shouto was satisfied to see her glow again. As he watched the love of his life leave his sight, Todoroki couldn't help but think about how thankful he was to have loved her - even if it was only for a moment.

* * *

The orchestra just started their performance when Momo entered. It was dimly lit inside and everyone was focused on the musicians. Her nerves were shaken, but she tried her best to compose herself as she made her way down the red carpet aisle.

When she found the seats, she was confused. Her eyes searched frantically for him, _Where is he?_

"Looking for someone?" his voice rang in her ears.

There was those fiery eyes she's been longing to lose herself in; that smug grin she's been wanted to kiss; the explosive, handsome man that she loved. He stood near the center of the stage, right in front where everyone could notice him, just the way he liked it

"Did you miss me, Ponytail?" Bakugou heartily laughed, while also attempting to hide his giddyness.

Momo could've sworn that the orchestra played that song just for them. All the notes seemed to fit into place with every step she took towards him. She ran into Bakugou's arms, almost knocking him over and hugged him tightly.

"I thought you left!" she had worry in her eyes, but her expression couldn't be anything but happy.

"I'm here aren't I?

"But Kirishima…"

"He went to the airport at the wrong time."

Her arms wrung him tighter as she yelped, "Thank goodness!"

Being in his arms, felt so perfect, but she wasn't convinced enough, "You're not leaving anymore?"

His smile was reassuring as it always was, "There was something here worth staying for."

Momo was overjoyed to hear him speak those words, but couldn't wait anymore. Her lips locked into his as if they were solely made for each other. Bakugou held her and she melted in his arms. In that moment, everything and everyone around them seemed to have disappeared. She interrupted their kiss to tell him what she's been wanting to tell him for a long time.

"I love you, Bakugou Katsuki!" Momo yelled, her voice echoing in the concert hall and in Bakugou's heart.

He couldn't believe what he just heard - it was too good to be true. Bakugou didn't care anymore how stupid he must've looked with a huge smile on his face. He allowed himself to be vulnerable around her.

"I fucking love you, Yaoyorozu Momo," he told her, wanting to be hers as long as they loved each other.

They pressed their foreheads together, smiling contently in each other's arms; this was their moment. They were brought back to reality too suddenly once they heard people shouting at them.

"You're blocking the way!" one stranger screamed.

Momo's face flushed red, suddenly realizing what she has done in public.

On the other hand, Bakugou wasn't pleased, "Don't you fucking yell at my girlfriend like that you piece of-"

Momo pulled his face in her direction. Her onyx eyes glimmered in the dim light, "What do you say we get out of here?"

Bakugou's anger quickly dissipated upon laying his eyes on his beautiful lover. They didn't know where their relationship was leading to or what the future was holding for them, but they didn't care. They loved each other, and that was all they need to be happy.

"Lead the way, Ponytail," Bakugou told her, taking her hand on his.

Momo gazed back at the man that filled her heart and grinned, leading him home.

THE END


End file.
